From Pick No. 45 to a Raptors Record: Jamal Shead Gets Three More Years

Second-round picks don't usually get paid two years in. Jamal Shead just did.

The Raptors guard agreed to a three-year, $24 million extension, his agent, KJ Smith, told ESPN on Thursday. It keeps the 24-year-old in Toronto through the 2029-30 season.

Why Toronto moved early

Shead went 45th overall out of Houston in 2024. Last season he handed out 354 assists off the bench, 5.4 a game. That led every reserve in the NBA and set a Raptors record for a bench player. He was also fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

He never missed a game. Shead was one of 18 players to appear in all 82, averaging 6.6 points and 1.7 rebounds.

In seven playoff games, four of them starts, he raised his numbers to nine points, five assists and 1.4 steals.

At $8 million a year, Toronto is paying for a reliable backup point guard who takes care of the ball and shows up every night. If he keeps improving, it could look like a bargain by the end of the deal.