Man, I might've written off Toronto's obituary a bit too early the other day when I said re-signing veteran Garrett Temple might be the best news we'd get out of free agency.
I mean, to be fair, I had good reason to believe so, given Toronto's lack of star power as an overlooked/undesirable market, and pointing to their financial constraints as a big indicator that a noteworthy signing wasn't on the horizon.
But here I am, left to laugh at my oversights because the Raptors have gone ahead and snagged themselves a quality backup center. Once again, I repeat: the Toronto Raptors actually got a backup big.
I've been longing to see Toronto somehow figure out it's center rotation, aside from just Jakob Poeltl carrying the heavy load, and relying on small-ball minutes from Jonathan Mogbo or Scottie Barnes. Sure, there were nights when those methods paid off, but it's always nice to have a little more firepower in your grasp.
Look no further than Sandro Mamukelashvili, the newest member of Raptors basketball.
For three seasons, Mamu was a serviceable third-string, sometimes second-string, center in the Spurs rotation, where he proved to be a quality post scorer, could shoot the three-ball effectively, and made decent passing reads.
In fact, it was just last season when Mamu's biggest NBA claim to fame was reached, as he recorded the most points in a game (for a player who played less than 20 minutes) with a career-high 34-point performance (7-for-7 from three, I might add), along with nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a Spurs win over the New York Knicks on March 19, 2025.
He may not be the most imposing big out there, nor does he quite fit the Raptors special of being a defense-first oriented squad, but for a risk of merely a two-year, $5.5 million contract (player option in the second year)... Toronto's gamble on Sandro Mamukelashvili appears foolproof.
Sandro Mamukelashvili is a great addition to the Raptors
There isn't much on Toronto's end of the bargain here that could go wrong. I, and I bet many others in Raptors Nation, have been clamoring for the team to address their lack of center depth.
While Mamu is more of a forward/center hybrid (at 6-foot-9, a la the classic "Vision 6'9"), I think it's a breath of fresh air for Toronto to have a solid big man trial piece to pair alongside their hopeful winning core. Given that Toronto had to make do with guys like Orlando Robinson and Colin Castleton last season, Mamukelashvili is a step up in the right direction.
To be a bit more pessimistic, Toronto has given chances to guys like Alex Len and Aron Baynes in the past, and those experiments proved to be absolute duds. But keep in mind, that was a time when the Raptors were merely searching for any answer at the five spot — until they found a suitable temporary solution in Khem Birch and eventually Jakob Poeltl.
Mamukelashvili might have to still earn his way into a consistent role off the bench, but especially with a name like that... he's just destined to become a Raptors fan favorite. I'm looking forward to see what Mamu has to offer.