Toronto Raptors Sign Jaden Bradley to Multi-Year Contract

The Toronto Raptors have moved quickly to lock in a key piece of their backcourt future, signing guard Jaden Bradley to a multi-year contract and reshaping the depth chart in the process.

The team did not release financial details, sticking to club policy, but the message is clear enough: the 50th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft is not just a camp body. He’s part of the plan.

Raptors commit to Bradley’s upside

Bradley arrives with a résumé that’s hard to ignore. Listed at six-foot-three and 205 pounds, the Rochester, N.Y. native comes off a standout senior season at Arizona, where he was named Big 12 Player of the Year. Across 39 games, he averaged 13.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 30.6 minutes, driving the Wildcats all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

He didn’t just score. He controlled games. Big 12 First Team, All-Defensive Team, and the heartbeat of a deep tournament run — the kind of profile that tends to translate well to the pro grind.

Bradley’s path to Toronto ran through two major college programs. He spent his freshman year at Alabama in 2022-23, earning SEC All-Freshman Team honours, before transferring to Arizona and playing three seasons there from 2023-26. Four years, two conferences, constant responsibility. The Raptors clearly liked how he handled all of it.

His first taste of the pro game came at Summer League with Toronto. The numbers weren’t spectacular, but they were solid enough for a rookie guard finding his feet: 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 20.5 minutes per game, while shooting 32.4 per cent from the field over five outings. The efficiency will need to climb. The all-around involvement is already there.

A roster domino: Smith converted

Bradley’s signing did more than just secure a rookie. It triggered movement elsewhere on the depth chart.

By bringing the second-rounder onto a standard NBA deal, the Raptors opened up a two-way slot — and they wasted no time filling it, converting guard Malachi Smith into that role.

Smith, 26, split last season between Brooklyn and the G League and arrives with the kind of production that front offices value in a two-way guard. In 15 games with the Brooklyn Nets, he averaged 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists, showing he can function in a rotation when called upon.

His work with the Long Island Nets in the G League told the rest of the story. Across 39 appearances, Smith put up 14.4 points, 5.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game, a steady creator and rebounder from the backcourt who can run an offence and keep the ball moving.

For Toronto, this is about layers. Bradley gets the security and developmental runway of a multi-year NBA contract. Smith slides into a flexible role that allows the club to tap into his experience while preserving roster agility.

Two guards. Two very different entry points into the league. One backcourt puzzle the Raptors are clearly intent on solving over the long haul.