With the fallout of this year's NBA trade deadline, the Toronto Raptors came out of the important date with some tweaks to the roster in mind. Yesterday, it was reported that Toronto acquired former 2nd overall pick James Wiseman from Indiana. I initially hoped this deal could turn out to be another example of Masai Ujiri's clairvoyant vision, but alas, Wiseman was waived later in the night.
Losing three players at the deadline—Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and Davion Mitchell—while only taking back Brandon Ingram and PJ Tucker (who is not expected to report to Toronto, according to sources), the Raptors explored options internally for restructuring some roster spots.
One of the Raptors' two-way spots was occupied by 23-year-old sharpshooting rookie forward Jamison Battle. The former Ohio State product fought his way onto a Raptors roster spot after the team signed him to a training camp deal, impressing enough to eclipse now-Thunder center Branden Carlson for a two-way deal.
Raptors sign Jamison Battle to a three-year standard NBA contract
In 35 appearances for Toronto this year, Battle has stood out as a bright spot for the otherwise poor Raptors squad, which struggles to find success from beyond the arc.
Battle's rookie statistics thus far are as follows: 5.4 points on 45.8% shooting from the field and an impressive 41% from three-point range.
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania announced the Battle contract news on X in the afternoon of February 7:
The Toronto Raptors are converting two-way forward Jamison Battle to a three-year standard NBA deal, sources tell ESPN. The Ohio State product has averaged 5.4 points and 12.6 minutes for the Raptors this season. pic.twitter.com/1cODH5EXcU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 7, 2025
The good thing about Battle is he's already showing great shooting prowess in just his introductory NBA year, and now he's locked down to Toronto for the foreseeable future. To complete the transaction, Toronto utilized a portion of its remaining mid-level exception. The hope is that he emerges further as a lights-out secret weapon for the Raptors as they navigate a route back to playoff relevancy.
The Raptors still have an open standard roster spot and, now, a two-way roster spot available in the aftermath of Battle's contract being converted to a regular deal. Who might take over the standard roster spot remains to be seen, but signs point to young center Orlando Robinson, who's signed two 10-day deals in Toronto, to take over the two-way position given the promise he showed.