A new basketball team is coming to the Toronto area.

The Toronto Raptors will operate an NBA Development League team in Mississauga, the team announced on Monday.

The new club, which will be called the Raptors 905, will be the 19th NBA minor league team, and will play at Mississauga's Hershey Centre.

Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri said the team was "thrilled" to launch its D-League franchise.

"Raptors 905 will give our young players a great opportunity to develop and gain valuable experience, while providing high level, affordable basketball to the community," he said in a statement Monday.

Seven current NBA players grew up in Toronto’s 905 area code: Tyler Ennis (Milwaukee), Cory Joseph (San Antonio), Anthony Bennett (Minnesota), Andrew Nicholson (Orlando), Nik Stauskas (Sacramento), Tristan Thompson (Cleveland) and Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota).

Eight members of the 2014-15 Raptors team have NBA D-League experience, the statement said. Raptors' Assistant Coach Nick Nurse also spent time coaching on D-League benches.

"The announcement of Raptors 905 is an important step in the growth of the NBA Development League and heralds an exciting time for Raptors fans across Canada," NBA D-League President Malcolm Turner said in the statement. "Raptors 905 is evidence not only of the value the Raptors place on developing young players but also of their commitment to providing fans with the NBA D-League’s unique brand of high quality basketball."

The Raptors are the ninth NBA team to own a D-League franchise, following the lead of franchises including the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.