“Is there any way to blame the metric system?”
That’s John Hollinger’s point when he starts talking about the Toronto Raptors as one of the teams that dropped the ball in free agency this summer. The Athletic’s senior NBA writer and former Memphis Grizzlies vice president took it upon himself to identify the summer signings that weren’t getting enough press. After discussing the underrated positive moves, he wrote about bad moves that went unnoticed.
But he didn’t just talk about one trade, he first noted a long string of questionable decisions dating back to the 2019 title, and culminating in a questionable signing this summer. The Raptors signed just two players to new guaranteed contracts this summer (excluding draft picks): Garrett Temple to a minimum deal and Immanuel Quickley to a five-year deal.
It’s Quickley’s contract that’s in question, of course, for Hollinger. The newly signed point guard signed a five-year, $162.5 million deal that could pay him as much as $175 million if he meets certain criteria. For Quickley, who has never even sniffed an All-Star team and has been a backup his entire career in New York, that was certainly a big payday.
Hollinger is initially unhappy with the amount, as Quickley will be making close to the maximum for a player with his experience in the first year of the contract. From there, the amount remains flat, while a true max would increase each season, but it is certainly a lot of money. Hollinger cites James Harden as making essentially the same amount this season.
What seems to bother him more, and what we also noted immediately after the deal, is that Toronto seemed to be fighting itself. Which team was going to offer Quickley a huge contract, tying up its salary space well beyond the free agency period? The Utah Jazz were the only viable option, but the two sides were never linked to each other in the reporting.
Quickley was a restricted free agent, meaning the Raptors could match any contract he signed. That should have given them leverage to sign Quickley to a more team-friendly contract. Instead, they essentially gave him pretty much everything they could, and certainly more than he’s earned so far.
Was Hollinger’s criticism then fair?
