Raptors’ Mamukelashvili – Sandro Mamukelashvili will decline his $2.8MM player option for the 2026/27 season, setting up a high-stakes free-agency decision for Toronto that could hinge on contract space, other salary moves, and the team’s reported pursuit of Kawhi Leonard.
The decision is already in motion. Sandro Mamukelashvili, the Raptors big man, will turn down his $2.8MM player option for the 2026/27 season, according to agents George Roussakis and Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports.
It’s the kind of pivot that changes the math fast. Toronto can’t treat Mamukelashvili’s next step as a simple return—especially after what he did on his current deal. He is set to earn during the 2025/26 season on a $2.5MM veteran’s minimum, and he far outperformed that number. After this kind of production, he figures to cash in with a multiyear contract topping $10MM per season.
Toronto, for its part, hopes to re-sign him. But the Raptors will need to make room financially—salary has to move somewhere else if they want to stay competitive with the offer he might draw. The situation becomes even more complicated with the team’s reported pursuit of Kawhi Leonard. a name that can reshape budget priorities and roster planning before free agency fully opens.
The timing also matters because Mamukelashvili’s breakout season came at the exact moment players can be most expensive. At age 27, he appeared in 80 games, starting 13, and averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per night. His shooting was efficient: 52.3% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range.
That combination—size, minutes, and shooting—earned him a spot on a few Sixth Man of the Year ballots. He didn’t just show flashes. He made himself part of the conversation, which is why the market is likely to take notice of the specific role he can fill: a big man who can shoot from the outside.
Toronto’s attempt to bring him back intersects with the kind of financial tool teams can use. There is a note in the reporting that Mamukelashvili could draw better offers from teams willing to dedicate a significant portion of the $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception. If that exception is where the money lands. it could set the ceiling for what the Raptors can match—or what they decide not to match.
His path to this moment has been quick and specific. Mamukelashvili began his career in 2021 on a two-way contract with Milwaukee. He was claimed off waivers by San Antonio in March of 2023 and stayed there until signing a free agent deal with Toronto last summer.
Last week, a report said the Raptors were budgeting about $10MM per year to re-sign Mamukelashvili, and would prefer to close a deal before free agency begins Tuesday evening. If the market forms faster than Toronto can get agreement, the window for that plan could narrow.
All of it leaves one clear question hanging over the team right now: how much can Toronto rearrange without losing leverage—especially if they want both Mamukelashvili’s shooting at the forward-center spots and the option of making a push that involves Kawhi Leonard.
For Mamukelashvili, the message is straightforward. Declining the $2.8MM player option for 2026/27 isn’t just a financial decision—it’s a signal that he believes the season he just delivered should translate into something bigger than a one-year safety net. For the Raptors, it’s a reminder that hope and cap space don’t always move at the same speed.
Sandro Mamukelashvili Toronto Raptors player option 2026/27 $2.8MM $2.5MM veteran minimum free agency $10MM per season Kawhi Leonard $15MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception Sixth Man of the Year ballots