This is the first instalment of Roster RX, where we offer a prescription to cure what ails Toronto’s professional basketball team. This week: Free Agent Targets.
Whether you like it or not, Dwane Casey is returning to the helm of the Toronto Raptors for a fifth season. Knowing that Casey is more defensive-minded, let’s take a look at free agents Masai Ujiri may want to target to help his coach run a team that plays his brand of basketball.
Point Guard
Patrick Beverly, RFA
One of the premier defensive guards in the league, Patrick Beverly would make life a lot easier for Casey as he is a player capable of making opposing point guards’ lives very miserable, and has the lateral movement and quick hands to stay in front of guys and pick their pockets. Casey prefers a man-to-man style of defence and there are few better at doing just that than Beverley.
On the flipside, with Beverly a restricted free agent, Toronto will likely have to overpay for his services — and then there’s also the fact that he’s a starting point guard. The Raptors already kind of have that in Kyle Lowry, who likely won’t be down for a positional battle.
C.J. Watson, UFA
There’s nothing spectacular about C.J. Watson but he would be a more-than-able backup to Lowry. He’s not an all-world defender, but he’s respectable and would be an upgrade over Greivis Vasquez in that regard. Better yet, he would likely come pretty cheap, so taking a flyer on him wouldn’t hurt so much.
Cory Joseph, RFA
The Pickering, Ont., native would be an ideal backup to Lowry as he’s proven an ability calm things down during his time in San Antonio. He plays hard-nosed defence and makes smart, aggressive drives to the basket.
He is restricted so Toronto will have to go higher than what his market value is worth, but he’s only 23, it would make a great story for the city, and seeing as he’s currently the Spurs’ third point guard on the depth chart there’s a good chance they won’t try to match an offer for him.
Shooting Guard/Small Forward
Jimmy Butler, RFA / Kawhi Leonard, RFA
There really isn’t much chance of getting either of these guys since their teams will likely just match the max offers they’re bound to get dangled with, but it’s good to know what your shoot-for-the-stars options are, and both defensively and offensively, you aren’t going to get much better than Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard.
Also of note in this same vein, LeBron James will technically become a free agent as he has a player option, but he likely just structured his deal so he can get paid really big when the new television money comes in and raises the salary cap.
Khris Middleton, RFA / Tobias Harris, RFA
Two names that will be heard from in NBA free agency a lot and also good fits for Casey and the Raptors. Khris Middleton is a superb perimeter defender with potential to become one of the league’s premier lockdown guys. In his past two seasons he’s added three-point range to the mix and although it’s still a bit of a work in progress, he’s the young three-and-D player almost every team in the league wants.
Tobias Harris, on the other hand, isn’t as sound defensively as Middleton, but he’s also a heck of a lot more athletic, making him a bigger threat on offence and giving him plenty of room to grow on the defensive end.
Since both players are restricted the Raptors will have to pay big in order to try to poach them away from their respective clubs, but it may be a worthwhile gamble seeing how young both are (Middleton is 23 and Harris is 22) and also the fact that Milwaukee and Orlando are always presumably under a tighter budget than most squads.
DeMarre Carroll, UFA
After enjoying his best season as a pro as a key cog to the Eastern Conference’s best team in the regular season, DeMarre Carroll is due for a big payday entering unrestricted free agency and with the Atlanta Hawks needing to also make a decision on Paul Millsap, there’s a good chance that they won’t be able to pay both, making Carroll the more likely candidate to be cut loose.
Without question, his knee injury is a cause for concern, but recent reports indicate that he won’t require surgery and it shouldn’t dissuade teams like Toronto from going after him.
Carroll would be a great fit for the Raptors and basically any other team looking for a true starting three-and-D wing. He’ll never be a star, but really good role players are hard to find, so overpaying for a player in his prime to play with a Lowry and DeMar DeRozan – two other players currently in their prime years – wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to do.
Wesley Matthews, UFA
Like Carroll, Wesley Matthews is an excellent three-and-D “glue guy” set to become an unrestricted free agent. Unlike Carroll, whose injury status won’t appear to affect his free agent prospects, we know that Matthews is coming off a gruesome Achilles injury that may scare teams off – including his current squad.
It may be risky, but the Raptors could try to overpay a little to take a flyer on Matthews on a short-term deal, similarly to what they did when Ujiri traded for Lou Williams. If he’s able to come back healthy, Matthews would be a great solution to Toronto’s poor starting wing depth.
Luol Deng, Player Option / Corey Brewer, Player Option
Luol Deng and Corey Brewer are both defensive-minded wings that excel at slashing to the basket and hitting the occasional three, so they would make for decent fits in Toronto. The issue here is with their player options and their current situations.
Deng is due to make about $10.1 million next season with the Miami Heat and given where he is in his career now, is he really going to opt out and potentially never see a payday like that again? Unlikely. Then there’s Brewer who’s making respectable coin for his skill set but could opt out to chase a little more cash, but also looks so comfortable in Houston it’s hard to see him leaving anytime soon.
Power Forwards/Centres
LaMarcus Aldridge, UFA / Kevin Love, Player Option / Marc Gasol, UFA
To quote one of Shakespeare’s most famous lines, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on.” So keep on dreaming, Toronto.
DeAndre Jordan, UFA
This is likely another pipe dream, but the Raptors, and every other team in the league, may as well try throwing out a max deal to the 26-year-old defensive stud. After all, players that can impact the game the way Jordan does defensively don’t hit free agency all too often.
Draymond Green, RFA
The runner-up for defensive player of the year despite collecting the most first-place votes, Draymond Green is the kind of versatile defender every coach dreams about – oh, and it’s handy that he can also stroke it from downtown.
The Golden State Warriors are in an interesting predicament because some teams, be it the Raptors or someone else, will dangle max money in front of Green and dare them to match. Do they do it? They already have a lot of money on the books, yet at the same time Green is so integral to what they do defensively it would be tough for them to just let him walk for nothing.
Paul Millsap, UFA
Paul Millsap isn’t a defensive juggernaut, but is a great rebounder on both backboards – something the Raptors sorely need. Offensively, he’s got awesome versatility with a back-to-the-basket game and three-point range that he can get off in pick-and-pop situations.
As mentioned earlier with Carroll, the Hawks need to make a decision on one of the two and the likely choice is Millsap. That is, of course, unless another team comes with a big deal like the mean max contract that Klay Thompson got from the Warriors.
Tristan Thompson, RFA
With Amir Johnson’s ankles looking completely shot, the Raptors will probably need to find a replacement for him. This is no easy task as Johnson has been Toronto’s best overall defender and best finisher in the pick-and-roll for a while. Luckily, local boy Tristan Thompson will hit restricted free agency and his skill set is almost a mirror image of Johnson’s, minus the jump shooting.
Thompson would be a great fit for the Raptors and would certainly make Casey happy as he is a player who is committed to the defensive end and never needs a play called for him. The biggest hurdle, like most of this free agent class, is that he’s restricted. Even worse, his agent is the powerful Rich Paul who will likely be looking to negotiate a huge deal for Thompson that’s probably beyond what he brings to the table.
However, the salary cap will rise, so it might be a good idea for the Raptors to try to out-price the Cleveland Cavaliers and get some good GTA-bred talent onto the team.
Tyson Chandler, UFA / Robin Lopez, UFA
At age 32, you have to think Tyson Chandler’s best years are behind him, but the man can still really impact the game defensively and one of the most glaring holes the Raptors are in need of is a true rim-protecting big man. The price could be right for Chandler, but convincing him to come to Toronto may be prove to be a little difficult, and if that’s that case, why not go after Robin Lopez?
Lopez isn’t as good defensively as Chandler but he is younger and he competes really hard on both ends of the floor. He found a good fit in Portland playing alongside LaMarcus Aldridge, but as he is unrestricted. money will talk and there’s always the chance Toronto could outbid the Trail Blazers.