The Raptors finally completed their trade with the Los Angeles Clippers to bring Kawhi Leonard to Toronto and can now focus on rounding out their roster ahead of camp. Toronto's issue is that they're hard-capped at the NBA’s first apron and have little flexibility to fill their 14th and 15th roster spots. This has weirdly made 2026 second-round pick Jaden Bradley very important.
Bradley was selected at No. 50 in this past summer’s draft and is a four-year college guard who spent his final three years at Arizona. The 23-year-old is on a two-way contract and is essentially Toronto’s only option to round out the roster because signing a second-round pick carries a lower cap hit.
For Bradley, this is huge news.
Before even logging a real NBA minute, he could see himself earning a standard contract. But at the same time, the expectations for the impact he makes in his rookie season would rise significantly. It’s been clear for some time now that the Raptors should be looking for a third point guard after the way Immanuel Quickley’s injury derailed their playoff run last season. If Bradley gets that standard deal, he’ll be looked at as that third lead guard, and while some rookies might fold under that spotlight, there’s a reason Toronto drafted JB.
Bradley is built for this
Going back to my initial reaction to the Bradley selection back in June, I called him a steal for Toronto at No. 50. I stand by that. Bradley is coming off an unbelievable final year at Arizona, where he took home the Big 12 Player of the Year award, along with being named to the first-team All-Big 12, the conference’s all-defensive team, and earning the Big 12 tournament’s MVP. More important than those accolades was that the Wildcats finished 36-3 that year, and much of that was because Bradley ran the show.
The Raptors have a type at the guard position: tough, pitbull-like guards who flat-out win and whom a coach can trust to run the offense. Those traits drew them to Jamal Shead, and now they drew the Raptors to Bradley.
Yes, I understand Summer League was kind of a wash for Bradley, as his stats weren’t great and he didn’t see a ton of opportunity. But it’s not like he’s some super raw rookie guard coming in at 19; he was one of the most experienced players in college last year and probably could’ve gone pro a year earlier.
Obviously, there are some red flags in his game, as Bradley isn’t a three-point-oriented guard, with a career three-point percentage of 36.6 on 1.3 attempts per game in college. But he also won’t be asked to create his own offense regularly. That’s the other important thing: he shouldn’t need to play a lot. Bradley, more than anything, is just an insurance policy for when IQ needs a couple of nights off or Shead is banged up. If he sees the court more than 30 times next season, the Raptors' season likely fell off the rails early.
When you bring in a player of Kawhi Leonard’s caliber, and you have Scottie Barnes, you don’t need crazy upside at every position. The focus should be on surrounding them with players who know how to contribute to winning basketball, which is exactly what Bradley is. His rookie season may see him play a bigger role than we initially expected, but it’s one he’s more than capable of playing. Being that fill-in point guard whenever the team needs spot minutes or Quickley or Shead need a little support is all he needs to do.
So while Toronto’s lack of flexibility may scare some Raptors fans as the front office rounds out the roster, it makes them selecting Jaden Bradley at No. 50 that much more valuable.
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