Raps make cap-freeing deals
Only a few days ago, Masai Ujiri said his Toronto Raptors had ways to avoid the luxury tax and they’d utilize one of them “as time goes (on), whether it’s now, or later in the season.” Well, now it is. Early Sunday morning, Ujiri and Brooklyn Nets counterpart (and one-time Raptor) Sean Marks agreed on a salary dump that will send DeMarre Carroll to rebuilding Brooklyn, along with Toronto’s 2018 first-round pick (lottery protected per and the least favourable second-round pick from Orlando or the Los Angeles Lakers (acquired when Jeff Weltman became Magic president earlier this summer.)
The Raptors also received centre Justin Hamilton, a former D -League standout, but it’s unclear if he fits into the team’s plans.
The move was made to shed the $14.8 million and $15.4 million remaining on Carroll’s four-year deal. Hamilton is owed only $3 million. The Raptors need to sign promising swingman Norman Powell to a large new contract next summer and were trying to maintain flexibility around the luxury tax to make other immediate moves.
At least one of those dominos fell later Sunday, with ESPN reporting free agent C.J. Miles would be joining the club on a three-year deal via a sign-and-trade with the Indiana Pacers. Pickering, Ont., native Cory Joseph, Toronto’s backup point guard the past two seasons, will head the other way. Joseph only had one year remaining on his contract and was expected to opt-out in a year. With intriguing former 20th overall selection Delon Wright looking increasingly capable of stepping into Joseph’s role and sophomore Fred VanVleet also on the roster behind Kyle Lowry, a Joseph move had long been speculated.
Carroll was supposed to finally solve Toronto’s long-standing hole at small forward, but he never regained the form he flashed in Utah and Atlanta, due to injuries he never seemed to recover from.
Powell’s role will increase in Carroll’s absence and rookie OG Anunoby, who the team liked enough to make a promise to that he would be selected if still on the board at No. 23 last month, is also projected to be brought along quickly once he gets healthy.
Ujiri continues to work at reshaping the roster while keeping finances at a reasonable level, considering the caliber of the team. Before the deal, only two teams had higher total payrolls.
“We’re very comfortable. We’ll figure it out as it goes,” Ujiri had said earlier this week of being able to get off of the luxury tax.
“We’ve got many ways to get around it.”
The Carroll part of the equation was an expensive way, considering the fact that draft picks are more valuable than ever in today’s NBA landscape, but with no market for traditional centres like Jonas Valanciunas, it was the right call to make.
“We’re going to try to figure out how we can get a couple guys in to help our basketball team,” Ujiri had said.
In Miles, Toronto gets a swingman who has split time between shooting guard and small forward nearly evenly throughout his 12-year career and has guarded three positions well at times. Miles has averaged 2.2 three-point makes in each of the past three seasons, shot a career-best .413 from beyond the arc last year with the Pacers and is a has hit 36.5 per cent of his three-point attempts in 715 regular season games, 299 of them starts. However, he has struggled in the post-season historically, shooting only 26.5 per cent of his long-range attempts.
Miles can also guard at both forward spots well.
The deals can’t officially go on the books until Brooklyn’s offer sheet to Washington’s Otto Porter is matched by the Wizards sometime in the next few days.