The Raptors have supposedly been handicapped over the years by an inability to attract the best free agents. How true is that assertion, now and into the future?
Being slightly contrarian by nature, I don’t accept received wisdom often. Of all the cliches which lazy or uninterested journalists ladle on the Toronto Raptors, few are more hard-wired than “the team and the city is not a popular destination for free agents”.
Let’s take a historical perspective, shall we? Wading through the data should be manageable. After all, the team is only 20+ years old; Alvin Robertson was the first free agent [FA] ever signed, by Isiah Thomas in 1995.
You’re welcome to do your own review, but my conclusion is simple: the Raptors haven’t suffered from FA disdain.
The negative reputation has been built largely on the August, 2000 fiasco which resulted when Tracy McGrady bolted to the Orlando Magic. Chris Bosh’s nasty divorce from the team in 2010 added fuel to the fire.
T-Mac should have stayed
T-Mac was at pains then and now to point out his departure from the Raptors wasn’t an indictment of city or team, but a desire to return to his Florida home. And yes, Tracy used a sign-&-trade agreement as his mechanism to leave, not a FA deal. Either way, he was gone.
[20-second timeout: The compensation the Raptors received for losing T-Mac was the draft rights to Fran Vasquez, who was selected in the 2005 draft(!) but never left Europe. That little factoid, which I didn’t know until I started my research, is more proof of how much NBA rules stink.]
Vince Carter is often sloppily mixed in with T-Mac and Bosh as one who fled the Raptors, but he didn’t – he was traded. By some accounts, he regretted the way he had been behaving (very badly; he was jogging back on D), and called then-coach Sam Mitchell to say he didn’t want to be moved after all. Rob Babcock, the in-over-his-head General Manager, said it was too late. The infamous trade to New Jersey had been finalized.
Lots of signings
The Raptors haven’t been shut out in the FA marketplace. Stephen Curry’s father Dell joined our team in a 3-year deal in 1998. Dear Old Dad couldn’t do much more than shoot long balls, but that he did very well. So few of us (and certainly not me) realized how prevalent 3-balls would become. At the time, Dell’s talent was viewed as fluky.
Jason Kapono was a sought-after FA who chose Toronto. Sadly, he flamed out.
Once he saw Masai Ujiri’s pitch, DeMarre Carroll signed as a FA without even sitting through the other presentations he had lined up.
The Raptors have retained more free agents than have been lost. Once our new guys get on board (particularly in the time of Masai), they tend to stick around. Yes, we lost P.J. Tucker, which wasn’t part of the plan, but Patrick Patterson’s departure was not opposed by the team. Remember, 2-Pat was one of those who happily re-upped after deciding he didn’t want to be moved after all. Kyle Lowry has also admitted that he had no intentions of remaining once his contract was up, but grew to love his new home.
According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, DeMar DeRozan was on his way to the Lakers after the 2015-16 season. Another air ball for the Smith-man.
And from left field…
Here’s another factor to consider – the rise of Donald Trump. Look at these U.S. Election Night tweets from the likes of wanna-be Canadians Norman Powell and Patrick Patterson, as assembled by the CBC. Is it conceivable that players will be attracted to hoops north of the U.S. border because of their almost universal disdain for the erratic (boy, am I being kind!) resident of the White House? Take an up-to-the-moment look at how the President is perceived by NBA players…wow.
Players want to be well-treated, and to win. The Raptors are well on their way to creating an environment which checks both those boxes. Toronto could end up as San Antonio North – every free agent’s second choice. It could be worse.
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