With all the chatter lately about how the Raptors' asset pool is reportedly not getting the best reactions on the market, it made me think of another player in their ranks who could've had a new price tag this season: Ochai Agbaji.
In the 2024-25 campaign, Agbaji, who looked far from stellar in his intro Raptors season, dedicated himself to improving his shooting and became one of Toronto's key role players. NBA teams often dream of having players who can defend the perimeter, cut to the rim for explosive finishes, and, of course, his incredible three-point improvement served as a main highlight in Raptors discussion circles.
For all those reasons, Agbaji built a strong case for getting paid before the October 2025 deadline for his rookie scale contract. I envisioned his market value falling around the $10 million range, maybe even pushing close to $15 million, if the Raptors could afford to be extra generous. That seemed more than fair for a guy who worked incredibly hard to become a key contributor for Toronto.
However, the Raptors and the former 2022 lottery pick couldn't reach an agreement. As a result, Agbaji entered the 2025-26 season with his $6.3 million expiring contract.
I had quite a few questions about Agbaji going into this year. I believed his skill set could still be valuable for Toronto, even with their latest rotation additions that would likely cut into his minutes. If Agbaji could still hit occasional threes and maintain that usual defensive intensity, his case for a future extension could still be in play if the Raptors see fit.
But that’s far from the reality we’re in now. There have been times I've been ready to completely write off Agbaji as a consistent piece for the Raptors — as he was teetering in DNP territory and the emergence of other players.
Raptors saved themselves by not prematurely extending Ochai Agbaji
However, Toronto’s ongoing injury issues and a seemingly favorable outlook from coach Darko Rajakovic have kept Agbaji in the rotation as of now. That said, Agbaji’s name still keeps popping up in Raptors trade rumors. His affordable, easily movable contract makes him a tempting piece to include in efforts to upgrade the roster. Names like Day'Ron Sharpe and Nick Richards are often mentioned as potential targets in those discussions.
You could argue that a price tag of $10 or $15 million is still relatively easy to unload compared to Toronto’s 'bad' contracts for Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl. But for a guy averaging less than five points and with a completely lost jump shot rhythm — honestly, I’m not sure Toronto would’ve necessarily had a 'good' asset there either.
Now, Toronto can either let his contract run its course and allow Agbaji to explore free agency, or use it as leverage in a trade. Either way, I think Toronto comes out ahead — hats off to them for not jumping the gun.