For Raps, question now deal or no deal?
With playoff run over, GM faces tough choices about free-agent players
“I love it up here, I think I’ve said it before . . . I would love to be back here.” BISMACK BIYOMBO POSSIBLE FREE AGENT
With the rush of the Raptors’ first trip to the Eastern Conference final now starting to dissipate, the hard questions the off-season will bring inch closer.
The most difficult questions centre around contracts. The Raptors will have to pay to keep DeMar DeRozan in the only uniform he’s known in his seven-year NBA career, though his attachment to this city and team came through in almost every answer he gave on Saturday to what his pending free-agency could hold for him.
The beauty of this year’s team is that it was just that — a team. Every player knew their role, embraced it and, when they had to, stepped out of their comfort zone to do more. The harsh reality that the off-season brings is that this team won’t be back in its entirety when training camp opens in the fall.
When DeRozan opts out of his contract, he’ll command a max salary in the range of $25 million (U.S.) per year. Things become problematic for Raptors GM Masai Ujiri when he presumably pays DeRozan what the market demands. This will leave him little cash to re-sign Bismack Biyombo who, like DeRozan can opt out of his deal to test the free-agency waters.
Biyombo’s breakout season was followed up by an enormous playoff showing where he improved the bigger the stage got. His offensive game has improved but is still very limited, while defensively he’s very difficult to match. He’s a rebounder, a shotblocker and at six-foot-nine and 245 pounds, the 23-year-old can run around the perimeter defending stretch fives when needed to.
Biyombo made $2.8 million this season and is projected to easily make four to five times that much on a new deal.
Even in his exit interview on Saturday, Biyombo was still playing his part on this Raptors team, just wanting to be a part of a deep and closeknit squad.
“I love it up here, I think I’ve said it before . . . I would love to be back here,” he said. “I’m sure . . . I’ve heard Masai say he’d do whatever it takes a couple of times.
“At this point I’m just thankful that the organization gave me the opportunity to come here and enjoy a different experience since I’ve been in the league.”
While so many burgeoning talents wish their days on the bench away for a starting role and a fresh start, Biyombo wasn’t in that headspace.
“It’s not as big as it sounds, really,” he said of the importance of being a starter. “I just want to win and obviously here the opportunity that was given to me was to win. For me it’s about winning. Starting or not starting, it doesn’t matter. I know I can start but with that being said it’s not the most important thing to me.”
The exit interviews were strange in a way.
Saturday was an opportunity for the pending free agents to sell themselves publicly, but DeRozan and Biyombo both ended up discussing their love of their place here and the opportunity afforded them. Their coach was no different, as there’s a team option on the final year of Casey’s contract for next season.
Casey cut the assumption he’d want to talk with Ujiri about the contract this week.
“It’s about the team, I’ll let my agent handle all that,” Casey said.
Luis Scola, James Johnson and Jason Thompson also head into free agency this summer.
“Masai, he’s one of those guys who is quietly going about his job,” Casey said.
“I’m sure he’s got ideas already about what he wants, or what wants to add to the team already. How he wants to handle Bismack and DeMar.”