Former Arizona star lands $9.3 million deal with Toronto Raptors
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Former Arizona Wildcats guard Jaden Bradley was among the last players selected in the 2026 NBA draft, but he's getting paid like a player picked 20 spots higher.
After going No. 50 overall to the Toronto Raptors, Bradley had his contract converted from a two-way into a 4-year, $9.3 million deal with the first year guaranteed, as reported by Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype on Monday.
Toronto is signing former Gonzaga guard Malachi Smith to Bradley's vacated two-way spot.
Bradley's big year
Bradley spent the final three seasons of his collegiate career under Lloyd at Arizona, culminating in the Big 12 Player of the Year award as a senior after he averaged 13.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals while shooting 39.4% from three.
Bradley earned consensus Third Team All-American honors, Big 12 Tournament MVP, and NCAA Tournament All-Region honors for what was a spectacular late-season run for the 6'3 New York native.
The Toronto Raptors converted rookie two-way guard Jaden Bradley to a 4-year, $9.3 million deal, league sources told @hoopshype. This first year of the deal is guaranteed. Bradley was the 50th pick of the 2026 NBA Draft out of Arizona, where he was the Big 12 Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/2FV8dB6S7J
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) September 21, 2026
Top performances included 15 points, seven assists, and 0 turnovers against Iowa State in the Big 12 semifinals, 18 points against Utah State in the Round of 32, and 14 points, six assists, and one turnover against Purdue in the Elite Eight.
On a team led by freshman phenoms Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, it was Bradley's steady presence at point guard that carried Arizona to their first Final Four in 25 years.
Fit in Toronto
Bradley joined the Raptors as a late second-round pick and signed a two-way contract, hoping to compete in NBA Summer League for a chance to win an outright roster spot. The 6'3 guard showed flashes of excellence at Summer League, averaging 6.4 points and 3.2 assists in 20.5 minutes per game.
That was enough for the star guard to earn a real shot at playing time, but it took a while for the official contract paperwork to come through.
The Raptors were waiting for a long, agreed-upon trade for Kawhi Leonard to finally go through, which sent Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick out to Los Angeles.
Now that the trade is official, Toronto has an open roster spot and has completed a move that had likely been in the works for quite a while.
Now Bradley gets a standard roster spot and a guaranteed contract, while he battles for backup PG minutes alongside fellow Big 12 alumni Jamal Shead (Houston) and Ja'Kobe Walter (Baylor) behind Immanuel Quickley.
Bradley is one of 10 players on an NBA roster who played for coach Lloyd, joining fellow rookies Peat and Burries as well as Carter Bryant, Caleb Love, Keshad Johnson, Pelle Larsson, Christian Koloko, Benn Mathurin, and Dalen Terry.
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Andy Patton is a college basketball writer with deep ties to both Gonzaga and Arizona. A Gonzaga alumnus who graduated in 2013, he has hosted the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021 and has co-hosted the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. His years covering the Bulldogs have also given him extensive familiarity with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who spent more than two decades on Mark Few’s staff at Gonzaga before taking over the Wildcats in 2021. Andy has worked in sports media since 2017, with experience covering nearly every major sport. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for USA TODAY from 2017–21, where he also spent time covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and previously served as lead writer for College Sports Wire. He has also covered the NBA, NHL and MLB for various TEGNA outlets, including KREM in Spokane, 12News in Phoenix and KING 5 in Seattle. Andy now lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, daughter and dog.
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