Toronto Raptors: Five potential targets with the Taxpayer MLE

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Toronto Raptors – Kyle Lowry (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) /

James Ennis III

James Ennis has a big decision to make this offseason.

As a member of the Philadelphia 76ers during the final stretch of the regular season and the playoffs, Ennis proved to the Sixers clear sixth man. A thorn in the side of the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, Ennis averaged 7.9 points, four rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in seven games.

It was an arduous road to get to that point, he was barely more than a failed experiment for the Houston Rockets before being traded to the Sixers, with injuries derailing his stint in Houston. Now, after a successful postseason, Ennis is opting out of his small player-option for next season in search of the bag.

Ennis made $1,621,415 this season, a salary that was fairly relative to his production at the start of the season. But the Sixers got a steal when acquiring Ennis, a prototypical 3-and-D small forward.

The player-option for the 2019-20 season was only a mediocre $1,845,301. His performances in the playoffs proved that Ennis is definitely worth more than that, and while it seems more likely that he could return to the Sixers following his successful stint, a journey north of the border could be a good fit.

Ennis is a competent three-point shooter — shooting 35-percent for his career — and a solid wing defender, with the size to defend multiple positions. He could fit perfectly into a Raptors system that has seen them switch positions 1-through-4 with fluid defenders all over the court.

He might ask for a king’s ransom, but it’s likely that Ennis could settle with the Taxpayer MLE with a contending team. He could be a solid starter on a low-level team, though he could make a great bench addition in Toronto.