Raptors have plenty of options with news Vezenkov deal off cap

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One of the shrewdest trades in Toronto Raptors history looks even more promising today, as Sasha Vezenkov heads back to Europe.

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It’s not that Vezenkov is a bad player – he is, after all, a former Euroleague MVP and leading scorer – but on a rebuilding Raptors team, there’s little need for a veteran who’s about to turn 29 with limited upside and some defensive frailties.

The Raptors owed Vezenkov $6.65 million through the 2024-25 season after he acquired him from the Sacramento Kings along with point guard Davion Mitchell and the 45th overall pick in June’s NBA draft (which turned into another point guard, reigning NCAA Defensive Player of the Year Jamal Shead) in exchange for little-used Raptor Jalen McDaniels.

Sacramento made the odd move in order to free up salary, which was ultimately used to sign former Raptors star DeMar DeRozan. But Toronto didn’t end up taking on that much salary, as Vezenkov agreed to forgo the entire $6.65 million to sign a multi-year contract in Greece, according to Sportsnet. Blake Murphy.

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Reports from Europe earlier this month had said Vezenkov’s move to Olympiacos was a done deal, but Raptors president Masai Ujiri warned that nothing had been decided.

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“We’re still working through this situation. I’ve had conversations with Sasha, his representative, and I think it should evolve in the next few days or we’ll see if it’s a few months,” Ujiri told reporters in Toronto.

“We acquired a player in a trade and we think we communicated well. We communicated well with the agent and the team before, so we’ll see. We’ll see how it goes.”

It turns out that everything worked out for all parties. Vezenkov was clearly not thrilled with his first taste of the NBA, he struggled with injuries and didn’t find a place in Sacramento. Now he can get his money back and become a star abroad again.

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The team also waived goaltender Javon Freeman-Liberty, who was on a partially guaranteed contract.

Those trades leave the Raptors with plenty of options. The team is roughly $11 million below the luxury tax in an NBA that is mostly made up of teams eager to avoid the latest collective bargaining agreement’s punishing new restrictions. That could present opportunities to take salary in exchange for assets (similar to the Kings’ deal), or Toronto could use its mid-level exception to sign a free agent (though the pickings are slim at this point in the summer).

Another option would be to bring back young center Christian Koloko, the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft. Toronto had high hopes for the Cameroon native but reluctantly passed on him when it needed to clear a roster spot in January. Koloko had not played this season due to blood clots, but the U.K. Sun recently reported that Koloko had been in a private workout in Las Vegas. Koloko was reportedly seeking approval from NBA doctors to return after his issues were apparently resolved with surgery. Toronto remains very supportive of the shot-blocker. Koloko was recently seen chatting with some of his former Raptors teammates and general manager Bobby Webster in Las Vegas

Toronto also has just under $4 million remaining under a trade exception created when Pascal Siakam was traded to the Indiana Pacers and the team is also looking for a new home for Bruce Brown, part of that trade.

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