Toronto Raptors Sign Jaden Bradley to Multi-Year Contract

The Toronto Raptors have moved quickly to lock in one of their most intriguing young guards, signing second-round pick Jaden Bradley to a multi-year contract and reshaping the back end of their roster in the process.

The team, as usual, kept the financial details under wraps. The message, though, is clear enough: Bradley is part of the plan, not just a Summer League cameo.

At six-foot-three and 205 pounds, the 50th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft arrives with a sturdy frame and a college résumé that carries real weight. His numbers at Summer League in Raptors colours were modest — 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 20.5 minutes, shooting 32.4 per cent from the field over five games — but the organization clearly saw enough in his feel and competitiveness to commit early.

The more convincing evidence lies in his final year at Arizona. As a senior, Bradley was the engine of a Wildcats team that played deep into March, averaging 13.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals across 39 games. He logged 30.6 minutes a night, took on primary-creator duties and walked away with a sweep of major honours: Big 12 Player of the Year, Big 12 First Team and a spot on the conference’s All-Defensive Team. Arizona rode that two-way impact all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

This is not a one-year wonder. The Rochester, N.Y., native spent three seasons in Tucson from 2023 to 2026, steadily growing into a lead guard after an eye-catching freshman campaign at Alabama in 2022-23, where he earned SEC All-Freshman Team recognition. Four years, two high-major programs, and a reputation for guarding his position as hard as he runs an offence — that’s the profile Toronto is betting on.

Bradley’s deal also triggered the next move. By bringing him onto a standard NBA contract, the Raptors opened a two-way slot, and they wasted no time filling it by converting guard Malachi Smith.

Smith, 26, brings a different kind of experience. He split last season between the Brooklyn Nets and their G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, and showed he can produce in both environments. In 15 NBA games with Brooklyn, he averaged 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists, carving out rotation minutes and proving he could handle a secondary playmaking role. His G League work was even stronger: 39 appearances, 14.4 points, 5.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds, numbers that underline his ability to run a team and stuff a box score.

For Toronto, this is roster building in layers. Bradley represents upside and long-term investment, a multi-year bet on a guard who has already shown he can anchor winning basketball in college. Smith offers immediate depth and proven production, the kind of two-way piece who can toggle between the G League and the main roster without missing a beat.

The Raptors have made their choices in the backcourt. Now the question is how quickly Bradley can turn college dominance and Summer League flashes into real NBA minutes — and how hard Smith can push to make that two-way label feel temporary.