THE Toronto Raptors I looked at the free agency landscape this summer, with the potential to open up a significant amount of cap space, and pulled the ejection lever.
While teams around them made numerous trades, the Raptors failed to add a single new player in free agency to a guaranteed contract. They re-signed Immanuel Quickley and Garrett Temple, and brought in a few players to participate in training camp, but otherwise abandoned free agency entirely.
That conservative approach has prevented the Raptors from committing money to help win now as they retool their roster, further burdening their already contract-heavy payroll. It also means they’ve missed out on bargains that are available on the market.
As the Raptors prepare for a season with a roster loaded with guards and big shooters and little depth up front, could they have addressed their roster needs in free agency? Let’s look at three players who signed lucrative contracts this summer that the Raptors should have made a move to sign.
Figuring out which free agents the Raptors should have signed isn’t as simple as finding the best deals of the summer. Many players factor in a team’s league position (i.e., its ability to compete for a championship) and the team’s location. Tyus Jones was a good deal for the Phoenix Suns, but he wasn’t going to sign the same contract to back up Immanuel Quickley in Canada on a team that likely wouldn’t make the playoffs.
But at some point, money comes into play, and that could have been the case with Naji Marshall. After working his way from undrafted to rotational wing on a playoff team, Marshall ran into a roster snafu with the New Orleans Pelicans and was available on the open market. He signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
Toronto can’t offer the playoff and championship prospects Dallas did, but they could have offered more money and an equally important role. Marshall has improved as a shooter, is a tough defender and crafty cutter, and at 26, he still has plenty of playing time left. With all the mid-level exception at their disposal, the Raptors could have bid higher than the Mavericks and perhaps convinced the New Jersey native to head north.
