Raptors’ remake brings relief
Ujiri deals Carroll, Joseph as supporting cast changes
Masai Ujiri hinted on Friday that he had some things percolating that would address a handful of issues facing the Raptors, but he wasn’t about to make them public lest other teams swoop in and scuttle his plans.
Seems a wise decision since the Raptors president had a remarkably busy weekend that solved myriad issues surrounding a team that remains set to challenge the behemoths of the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
Getting a series of tumblers to fall into place to unlock the chance to make key moves, Ujiri:
Dealt DeMarre Carroll and two draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Justin Hamilton, a cheap bit player whose biggest asset is his inexpensive contract.
Used the Carroll transaction to get under the NBA’s luxury tax threshold and free up the mid-level exception of about $8.4 million (all figures in U.S. dollars).
Used that money, and the surfeit of point guards on the team, to move Cory Joseph to the Indiana Pacers in a signand-trade deal for C.J. Miles, who dovetails perfectly into the hole created by the departures of Carroll and P.J. Tucker.
Got a three-year deal with Miles — with a player option for the final year, according to reports — that puts him on the same terms as Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka and DeMar DeRozan.
Came away with a trade exception of about $12 million that can be used in the next calendar year to add players without having to sacrifice anyone from the roster. Arather eventful couple of days, indeed. None of the deals are official, though. The first domino — Carroll to the Nets with a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2018 that’s likely to be in the mid-20s, and a second rounder in the same draft — has to fall before the rest can come into reality.
That should be mid-week at the latest, or whenever the Nets officially get out from under an offer sheet to Otto Porter that the Washington Wizards are expected to match.
But when that happens and the floodgates open, Ujiri will have completed a magical transformation from leading a team with a gaping hole in its roster at small forward and facing financial doom, thanks to the league’s luxury tax, to one that has pieced together a roster that, altered from last year, remains among the best in the Eastern Conference.
The key to the weekend’s moves was obtaining Miles, a 30-year-old guard/forward who should boost Toronto’s threepoint shooting and provide a veteran wing presence to guard against any regression by the promising Norm Powell.
Coming off what observers of the Pacers contend was the best season of his 11-year career, the six-foot-six swingman shot 41 per cent from three-point range while averaging about 11 points and three rebounds per game.
Just as importantly, he is a versatile defender and should allow the Raptors to play the in-vogue switch-everything style the best NBA teams employ now.
Between Miles, Powell and DeRozan, the Raptors would seem to be far better suited at the small forward-shooting guard spot than they would have been with Carroll, who was more suited to be a power forward-small forward than in a guard-forward role.
Just as the trade of Carroll was made amenable by the acquisition of Miles, the departure of Joseph is made amenable by the presence of third-year point guard Delon Wright.
Joseph, the Pickering native who was the best Canadian to ever play for the Raptors, was deemed expendable when Wright proved capable as a backup last season.
Losing Joseph’s defensive tenacity and leadership will hurt, but Wright’s length and growth potential forced the Raptors to find a more consistent role for him. The deal also allows Fred VanVleet, another inexpensive intriguing young player, to wait in the wings as a third point guard.
The acquisition from Brooklyn in the Carroll trade, Hamilton, is unlikely to fit into Toronto’s plans, with Jonas Valanciunas and Jakob Poeltl under contract as centres and with Serge Ibaka perhaps best suited at that spot.
Carroll spent two injury-plagued seasons in Toronto after signing a four-year, $60-million free agent contract in 2015. He averaged 8.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 72 games last season.
ANUNOBY SIGNS: The Raptors signed first-round draft pick OG Anunoby to a rookie scale contract.
Anunoby, 19, is under contract through the 2018-19 season, with two team option years to follow. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, as per team policy.
Toronto selected the six-foot-eight forward 23rd overall. Anunoby played two seasons at Indiana, averaging 6.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 17.4 minutes. With files from The Canadian Press