There is still one final exhibition game to come for the Toronto Raptors, as they gear up to return home to face off against the Brooklyn Nets, in a matchup that the organization is advertising as "Welcome Brandon Ingram Night." Unfortunately, five players will not be able to suit up for the Raptors on Friday night or cheer for their peers from the bench. Earlier today, as reported by HoopsHype's Michael Scotto on X, it was announced that Toronto plans to waive AJ Lawson, David Roddy, Jared Rhoden, Olivier Sarr, and two-way player Ulrich Chomche. A subsequent official Raptors press release confirmed those five players have been waived.
Raptors cut five players from the roster, including AJ Lawson and Ulrich Chomche
Cuts are inevitably part of the process as teams prepare to finalize their rosters before next week's official start of the regular season. Nevertheless, there is still a surprising element when reading about who exactly has been waived from the Raptors roster. I’d bet that the two most noteworthy names on the list to get cut are Canadian wing AJ Lawson and promising young center Ulrich Chomche. They definitely caught my eye, and from what I’ve seen on social media, other Raptors fans are just as stunned to see them go.
With the Raptors having one final main roster spot to fill, I was convinced AJ Lawson was the right choice, especially after he proved to be a strong back-end reserve last year and followed up with an impressive Summer League campaign this past July. However, during his preseason run, Lawson didn't quite stand out to the same degree, and perhaps his redundancy as a wing scoring threat made him appear expendable in the eyes of the Raptors brass.
Now, cutting Ulrich Chomche should come as a huge surprise to many Raptors commentators and fans alike. Chomche was a late draft pick by the Raptors in 2024, and as one of the youngest players in the NBA, the general consensus was that Toronto would take their time with him as a long-term project. He has shown flashes of potential to become a rotation center down the line, especially during the recent Summer League showcase, but injuries have hindered his progress. An untimely MCL tear back in February likely hindered his chance to get some valuable late-season run, and Chomche has also missed the entire preseason due to an undisclosed injury.
As for the other players — David Roddy, Jared Rhoden, and Olivier Sarr — there's still a strong chance they could continue their franchise journeys with the Raptors 905, so their chapters may not be over just yet. The Raptors roster now stands at 14 players with two filled two-way spots, so we'll just have to see who Toronto ultimately settles on to fill that remaining main roster spot.