The Raptors didn’t let Sandro Mamukelashvili walk away to sign with the Lakers because he didn’t play well for them. He was, quite on the contrary, one of their most reliable reserves and 3-point shooters in the regular season. But giving him the opportunity to have a career year resulted in a lot of interest from other teams and an increased price tag that they couldn’t realistically match with several expensive contracts already on the roster, the need for a few depth pieces, and the concerns about his playoff defense.
With Kawhi Leonard hopefully still coming to Toronto and signing a two-year extension, the Raptors are already at risk of losing Jamal Shead in a similar way after the 2026-27 season, as Raptors reporter Michael Granger outlined.
Granger noted that if the trade for Leonard goes through as planned, the Raptors will have seven players making around $182 million (not including RJ Barrett, who is due for a big extension or unrestricted free agency after this upcoming season).
So, Granger posed the question, “Will they have enough, for example, to sign Shead, the culture-setting, third-year guard who was such a find for them in the second round of the 2024 draft?”
The answer is uncertain at the moment.
“You would like to think so, but in the ‘apron era’ where superstars are taking pay cuts and teams are trading Finals MVPs, the Raptors’ top-heavy payroll could create problems,” Grange wrote. “Shead—who will be a restricted free agent after 2026-27–might have to go elsewhere to get paid what he is worth.”
It won’t be exactly the same situation as with Mamukelashvili because Shead’s status as a restricted free agent gives the Raptors the right to match other teams’ offers, but, as Grange put it, “they might not have the means to do it.”
Shead was a great backup point guard last season
If Shead were 6’8”, he’d be Raptors culture in a person: a tough, gritty defender who banks on his ability to make offensive players uncomfortable and force mistakes rather than any big-time shot-making. But even without the signature size and length the Raptors tend to go after, he was a great fit with their system in the 2025-26 season.
His inefficient scoring and lack of a reliable 3-point shot were real concerns all season long, but it didn’t stop him from making an impact in the playoffs. With Immanuel Quickley sidelined with an injury, he started four games and averaged 32 minutes per game, tied with Ja’Kobe Walter for the third-most behind Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.
Shead recorded at least four assists in six of the seven games, had five steals in the Raptors’ first win of the series, and scored 14 points in a big Game 7. His most memorable play of the series was when he forced Donovan Mitchell to commit an eight-second violation with less than a minute left in Game 4 to help the Raptors seal the win.
Losing him in free agency simply because they cannot match another team’s offer would be a tough blow. Now that he has the confidence of knowing that he can make big plays in a playoff series, Shead could be even better in his third NBA season.
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