Toronto Raptors Enter Season with 14-Man Roster Due to Hard Cap

The Toronto Raptors are beginning their season with only 14 players on their main roster, a move driven by a restrictive salary situation, according to Sportsnet.

As Sportsnet reports, the specific mechanics of the Kawhi Leonard trade have left the Raptors "hard capped" at the first apron for the season. This means the team cannot exceed a maximum salary of $209 million under any circumstances. While the team has $201.2 million in actual salary committed, unlikely bonuses for players such as RJ Barrett ($3.6 million), Immanuel Quickley ($2.5 million), and Jakob Poeltl ($500K) push the total apron figure to $208.1 million.

Because of this proximity to the apron, the Raptors only had room to sign second-round pick Jaden Bradley to a four-year deal, as his status as a team pick provided a slight tax and apron advantage over a free agent. Sportsnet notes that Bradley was the only player in the league who fit under the apron while allowing the team to maintain 14 players; otherwise, the team would have been forced to operate with 13 players, a situation allowed for only 28 total days per season.

The Raptors currently have no room for a 15th player and will not have that flexibility until February, unless they create room through a trade. However, any trade must be nearly salary-neutral or result in shed salary, as the team is less than $1 million away from the $209 million hard cap.