Raptors trade Jalen McDaniels to Kings – NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog

The Toronto Raptors have acquired guard Davion Mitchell, forward Sasha Vezenkov, the draft rights to Jamal Shead and a 2025 second round pick (via Portland) in a trade with the Sacramento Kings for forward Jalen McDaniels.

“This trade provides us with a mix of young and veteran players, as well as future flexibility and draft assets, as we continue our quest to win, and so we’re pleased to welcome Davion, Sasha and Jamal to the Raptors and to Toronto,” Raptors General Manager Bobby Webster said. “We thank Jalen for his contributions, and we wish him all the best in the future.”

Mitchell, 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, averaged 5.3 points, 1.9 assists, 1.3 rebounds and 15.3 minutes in 72 games (four starts) with Sacramento last season. He shot .452 (146-323) from the field, including .361 (57-158) from three-point range, and scored in double figures 12 times. Mitchell holds career averages of 7.4 points, 2.8 assists, 1.6 rebounds and 20.4 minutes in 227 games (32 starts).

A native of Hinesville, Georgia, Mitchell was picked ninth overall by the Kings in the 2021 NBA Draft. Following one year at Auburn (2017-18), he played two seasons at Baylor (2019-21). As a junior, Mitchell helped the Bears capture the 2021 NCAA Championship and was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.

Vezenkov, 6-foot-9, 225 pounds, appeared in 42 contests with the Kings last season, posting averages of 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 12.2 minutes. He shot 44 per cent (84-191) from the floor, .375 (45-120) from beyond the arc, and scored in double digits in eight games.

Vezenkov was picked 57th overall by Brooklyn in the 2017 NBA Draft. Sacramento acquired his draft rights from Cleveland in June 2022. Prior to signing with the Kings last summer, Vezenkov played five seasons (2018-2023) with Olympiacos in Greece where he earned Euroleague MVP honours (2023-23). A native of Nicosia, Cyprus, he has also played professionally overseas with FC Barcelona (2015-18) in Spain and Aris Basketball Club (2011-15) in Greece.

Shead, 6-foot, 201 pounds, was picked 45th overall by Sacramento in the 2024 NBA Draft. He played four seasons at Houston (2020-24) where he averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 27.5 minutes in 138 career games (108 starts). Last season Shead was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and became the first player in Big 12 history to earn Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honours in same season. The Manor, Texas, native finished his career as the second-winningest player in Cougars history with 120-18 record.

McDaniels averaged 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 10.8 minutes in 50 games (one start) with the Raptors last season. He signed as a free agent in July 2023