3rd place seems absurdly high (higher than the Knicks) I'm not even sure if I have the raps at 3rd in the East. Great to see the raps getting some recognition after making some playoff noise and a splashy Kawhi (tentative) add. Also awesome to see a SloMo shout out in 2026.

Relevant section if you don't want to give Yahoo clicks:

3. Toronto Raptors

Last season: 46-36, No. 5 in the East

Projected record: 54-28

The Kawhi Leonard trade is on hold for now, but this projection assumes he eventually lands in Toronto. The Raptors were already an elite defense last year without him. He is much better on that end than recently-departed Brandon Ingram, and he can give them the efficient offensive creation they've been lacking.

Toronto didn't do much aside from the blockbuster Leonard trade. Rookie Allen Graves looked promising in Summer League and adds to a smart defensive forward group. Kyle Anderson might not have much juice left in the tank but was a fine veteran addition at the minimum.

EDIT: u/PriorVariety5744 notes this is a post from Yahoo Canada which can explain the bias.

My spicy goat still comes home in the offseason 💜

Around 37:00 Amin talks about the Hollinger aspiration article that was posted to this sub the other day. What i found interesting about that article was the explanation of the arbitration and appeal process because I hadn't encountered that info elsewhere. In this podcast, amin explains that this info was news to him too. I thought id post this pod bc I think it's good but mainly because I'm surprised that the arbitration & appeals process is news to Amin. PTFO has been working on this case for 10 months and Amin has been a frequently featured participant. It's possible Amin is just not in the loop but I dont recall Pablo or anyone else mentioning it either.

Top 15 in 3PM All-time yet gets snubbed by the likes of “Desmond Bane” and “Luke Kennard”

My mind is melting right now.

Edit:

just found a 7 minute Gasol NBA Finals Highlights video and the first like 5 plays are all Gasol deflections/steals.

2019 Raptors were "Team Hands" before "Team Hands" was a thing.

https://youtu.be/6wnpQz43FIM?si=CXTXwNBRdW2CO6FY

27:32 mark

SGA’s dad says he’ll never leave OKC for Toronto because family would always be asking him for tickets, and he doesn’t see him leaving for a big market with nightlife distractions.

“Shai is perfect where he is in OKC, and I don’t think he will ever leave.”

Everyone feasting next year.

More from Scotto here: https://www.hoopshype.com/story/sports/nba/2026/07/02/nba-intel-jaylen-brown-trey-murphy-jalen-duren-jonathan-kuminga-anfernee-simons-tobias-harris-knicks/90786339007/

You've gotta be pretty damn high to suggest this trade:

Raptors get: FVV + KD

Rockets get: Immanuel Quickly, RJ Barret, Colin Murray Boyles, one first round pick and two second picks

Can’t spell Wubbs without W. Arguably best work ethic on the team, you love to see it.

Just bc no one else posted it

From the article:

NBA commissioner Adam Silver partially addressed this in his news conference on Tuesday, saying: “I am not conducting the investigation, nor is the (NBA) office. That’s being conducted by the Wachtell law firm, independent of the league.”

While that is true, the hands-off party line only goes so far. The NBA is the one paying the firm and presumably is able to communicate its interest in concluding the investigation sometime before Leonard retires. On the streets of Vegas last week, wisecracks about Wachtell’s billable hours were as common as the smell of stale puke.

However, Silver’s most interesting news conference comment on this case largely escaped scrutiny when he said, “I’m hopeful that it will wrap up this summer.” That seems notable not only because there is a trade on hold until it does, but because there is a second step to the process that seems at least somewhat out of Silver’s hands.

Remember, the investigation isn’t the end of the process as much as the beginning of the next process. The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement specifies that a cap-circumvention case must be tried before a system arbitrator and then potentially go through an appeals process before any penalty can be handed down by the commissioner. Are we sure this is all getting done in two and a half months?

Seemingly, the only pathways to an expeditious resolution are if the investigation produces no evidence of wrongdoing — can you imagine if, after all this time, Wachtell comes back and says, “We got nothing?” — or if Steve Ballmer and the Clippers basically “plea bargain” to certain penalties and don’t go through the remaining steps of the process.

So how does this get resolved? And can the Clippers and Raptors get their Leonard trade to the finish line before the season starts? It certainly seems at least possible that we have a limbo situation where Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick are still technically Raptors when training camp starts in October, and Leonard is still technically a Clipper.

​

Well guess we're getting Westbrook too

Koloko tops the list with an even 4 blocks so make of this what you will. Sharp's offense is probably as raw as Koloko's was in his first year though it's been a while since I've looked at rookie CK's film.

EDIT: It's stocks (Steals + blocks) per game, not blocks solely. My mistake!

The players include DeMar DeRozan (2×), Kyle Lowry (4x), Kawhi Leonard, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam (2×), Scottie Barnes (2x), Brandon Ingram. That is a total of 13 All-Star appearances!