Toronto Raptors Convert Two-Way Contract Before NBA Playoffs

Just one game remains in the 2025-26 NBA regular season, and it is an important one for the Toronto Raptors. Losing against the Brooklyn Nets in the season finale would give the Raptors just a 25% chance to maintain their sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and avoid the Play-In Tournament. 

After all the ups and downs throughout this season, the Raptors still have the opportunity to control their own destiny, and even climb in the standings. Facing a 20-win team with 10 players listed as out or doubtful on the injury report shouldn’t be a difficult task for a team with two All-Stars and capable role players. 

While head coach Darko Rajakovic runs a strict eight or nine-man rotation in most games, consistency has been a major issue for the Raptors in 2026. Offensively, there really are only two players that the coach can rely on to put the ball in the hole at this point in the season, and that’s the former Duke Blue Devils, RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram. 

In response to this, the Raptors signed G-League guard Tyreke Key to a contract just under a week ago. However, it seems general manager Bobby Webster decided he had made a mistake, waiving the former University of Tennessee guard to clear up the 15th roster spot for a different member of the G-League Affiliate team, the Raptors 905. 

ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news Saturday afternoon that the Raptors have signed guard AJ Lawson to a standard NBA contract, making him eligible to play in the playoffs. 

Raptors fans have seen the continued growth of both Lawson and Alijah Martin this season, and it was rather surprising to see Webster go in a different direction when originally signing Key. This move is a better representation of trusting the development process, and truly is a brilliant opportunity for a deserving All-NBA G-League Second-Team player. 

Through 25 games for the Raptors 905 this season, Lawson averaged 20.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He provides consistent three-point shooting (which the Raptors greatly lack), averaging 2.9 threes made per game on 37.1% shooting from deep. The 6-foot-6, 179-pound guard was born and raised in Toronto and officially joins his hometown team after going undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. 

The Raptors can finish the regular season anywhere from the fifth to eighth seed, depending on the results of four games on Sunday night. The only scenario the Raptors can finish as the fifth seed and face the Cleveland Cavaliers is if they beat the Nets, the Miami Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks, and the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic. Otherwise, the most likely result would be for the Raptors to face the New York Knicks in the first round; Toronto is 0-5 against New York this season, with a total point differential of -98.