Toronto Raptors Sign Former Tennessee Guard for 15th Roster Spot Before Postseason

With four games left in the 2026 NBA regular season, the Toronto Raptors have entered crunch time to make the playoffs. After once holding the third seed in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors have fallen to the seventh seed and are on track to participate in the Play-in Tournament if they don’t surpass the Philadelphia 76ers. 

Still having games against the Miami Heat (twice) and the New York Knicks, the path to the playoffs will not be easy. Offense has been a problem for Toronto all season, and in the biggest games, the big three seem to lose their touch. In yesterday’s loss to the Boston Celtics, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Scottie Barnes combined for just 40 total points on 17 made field goals. 

In an effort to find more help for the stars, general manager Bobby Webster decided to bring up one of the stars from the Raptors 905 G League affiliate to the senior team for the playoff run. 

Monday morning, the Raptors announced the signing of guard Tyreke Key as the final roster spot heading into the postseason. This means that G-League standouts Alijah Martin, AJ Lawson, and former No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft Markelle Fultz will not be eligible for postseason action with the senior team, unless Webster decides to waive someone to make room. 

Key has averaged 14.8 points per game for the Raptors 905 this season on 51/41/86 shooting splits. He formerly played for the University of Tennessee and, after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, has played the last two years in Toronto, making this his first call-up to the NBA. In his last four games, he has averaged 16.8 points and 2.5 steals per game on 52.8% shooting and 41.2% from three. 

This comes as somewhat of a surprise considering how well the three previously mentioned have played for both the 905 and the Raptors. More likely than not, the 15th roster spot wouldn’t have been getting many minutes, if any at all, considering head coach Darko Rajakovic’s limited eight/nine-man rotation. 

After missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, it would be easy to think the Raptors should be content to have a chance to avoid the Play-In and earn a top-six seed in the playoffs. However, with the addition of Ingram, along with recent contract extensions for Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl, the team has been underwhelming when facing the league’s best competition. Their record against the top-10 teams in the league is just 2-21, outside of the pre-James Harden Cleveland Cavaliers, which is a recipe for disaster going into the postseason.