Top buyout candidates after the NBA trade deadline
By Jeff Borsuk
Wayne Ellington
Wayne “The Man with the Golden Arm” Ellington was traded before the deadline in a package with teammate Tyler Johnson to the Suns in exchange for Ryan Anderson. Ellington is a 6’5″ shooting guard with 9 years in the NBA. The 31-year-old is making $6.27M and is rumoured to be bought out by his new team.
Ellington is the type of player that the Raptors may be looking for. He chucks a lot of threes and makes them 37% of the time. In fact, 84% of the shots he takes come from beyond the arc. On the season he is averaging over eight points, a steal and nearly two rebounds per game.
Though Ellington is able to produce on the offensive end, his game is not well-rounded. He is not overly fleet of foot. This gives him trouble to defend quicker and athletic players and makes him a liability at times. He is often targeted by opponents to attack. This could have Nurse hesitant to put Ellington on the floor for extended stretches.
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If the Raptors narrow their focus on a player who can live on the perimeter and give them three points in a hurry, Ellington will be on their short list. They may consider the success of other players in the playoffs such as Kyle Korver to determine whether this is the sort of addition they wish to make to fill the remaining spot on their roster.