Raptors look ahead to get the right player fit
This is the giddiest time of the NBA season. The two weeks that include the NBA Draft and the bulk of the free-agent signings represent a sharp uptick in hope for most teams, and that does not merely include those with a top-three pick or those in the running for superstar free agents.
Nearly every one of the 30 teams can talk itself into meaningful improvement in late June and early July.
So it is for the Toronto Raptors as they head into free agency, which opens on Wednesday (although contracts cannot go through officially until July 9). They chose Delon Wright with the 20th pick last week, and now the Raptors hope his defensive and playmaking skills will turn him into a useful part rather quickly. Also, the trade that moved Greivis Vasquez out of town — a nifty bit of deal making from general manager Masai Ujiri that also landed the Raptors a future first-round pick — could result in huge flexibility in free agency for the team.
They will likely not be in play for Marc Gasol, Kevin Love, Jimmy Butler or LaMarcus Aldridge (although Real GM’s Shams Charania reported on Monday that Aldridge will at least meet with Toronto), but the Raptors could have more than $22 million US of space under the salary cap. For a team with obvious holes at the wing and power forward, that money could help remake the Raptors without a complete revamp. A massive makeover has already been ruled out by Ujiri.
“Maybe we’ll make a couple changes here and there. I think our core still remains the same,” Ujiri said last week. “We’ll still give these guys an opportunity to grow. That being said, we’re open-minded and open for business. That’s the nature of the NBA. We’re trying to get better.”
That core, to be clear, consists of three players: Kyle Lowry, with two more years guaranteed on his contract, DeMar DeRozan, who can hit free agency after next season if he chooses, and Jonas Valanciunas, who is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Raptors before Oct. 31. Otherwise, he could become a restricted free agent after next year.
And no matter what happens in the next few weeks, the question will still be relevant: Is that a core The Toronto Raptors’ new NBA Development League will have a distinct suburban flavour when it makes its debut this season.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment announced Monday that it has purchased an expansion D-League team. It will be named “Raptors 905” and will play out of the Hershey Centre in suburban Mississauga.
The number 905 refers to the area code for cities surrounding downtown Toronto. Minnesota star Andrew worth building around?
Lowry has a history of injury and conditioning issues, and he turns 30 in March. And he is the relatively simple choice of the three. Wiggins, teammate Anthony Bennett, Cleveland forward Tristan Thompson and Sacramento guard Nik Stauskas are a few of the NBA players who grew up in the urban sprawl known colloquially as “the 905.”
Toronto 905 will be the 19th team in the D-League, and first outside of the United States.
It will give the Raptors more involvement in the development of raw but promising prospects. At his best, Lowry is a star, if not a top-10 player. You do not toss those players away unless you have to.