The status of Sandro Mamukelashvili became one of the key internal housekeeping tasks for Toronto after their postseason campaign wrapped up.
After Mamu signed on for a modest two-year, $5.5 million deal last offseason, and playing way beyond that price tag in the regular season — Raptors fans may have already had this major question on their radar well before it creeped up as a looming priority.
And the subject hasn't been without its twists and turns. The recent postseason sample for Sandro Mamukelashvili certainly left a lot to be desired and it added a new layer to the conversation around future extension talks in Toronto. At the same time, you still have to consider the massive bench boost that Mamu had for the Raps this past year, providing a key spacing element that was otherwise nonexistent in the frontcourt.
Which brings us to where these Raptors–Mamukelashvili talks stand at present.
Sandro Mamukelashvili's Raptors future in the air as free agency questions heat up
The latest from NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer provide a key update on the situation, writing in a recent drop from Saturday afternoon (subscription-required link here):
"Sources say that the Raptors, amid Toronto's ongoing trade conversations on various fronts, are bracing for big man Sandro Mamukelashvili to test the open market.
The Raptors hope to come to terms on a new deal with the Georgian forward before the marketplace opens, but Mamukelashvili is expected to have multiple suitors at a sizable portion of the full $15 million midlevel exception if he does not score a new deal from Toronto before Tuesday evening at 6 PM ET."
With these insights, it appears the Raptors are well-prepared for Mamukelashvili to explore his options around the league. Though, that shouldn't come as a massive surprise just based on this report alone, as the Raptors' recent first-round selection of Allen Graves could be interpreted as their safety net in case Mamu leaves or an outright signal that the extension is not a top concern.
And at that rumored traction of having multiple suitors open to offering "a sizable portion of the full $15 million midlevel exception," that might just be too costly for the Raptors to afford in their current financial situation. As the report states, Toronto is in the position to work on an new agreement ahead of their competition, but it's that major question mark on Mamu's best financial offer on the table that could become the Raptors' ultimate roadblock in these conversations.
Yes, Mamu has expressed countless times that he wants to be in a winning situation and impact winning (Toronto would certainly continue to be a promising place to do that), but what if he can accomplish that goal while also getting a nice pay jump?
If that is indeed the case, then we may need to gear up for a formal goodbye to Sandro Mamukelashvili as the market gets out of Toronto's price range and he's let go to thrive in a new NBA situation.
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