Where does the Toronto Raptors roster stand, and who can still be added?

After the departure of Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors have had a busy offseason. Where does the roster stand now, and who can still be added?

When Kawhi Leonard left, it changed the direction of the Toronto Raptors franchise. The team might not head towards a full-fledged rebuild; the franchise is still in a great position moving forward; however, true title contention is gone — for now.

After the departure of Leonard, Danny Green was next to go. With Toronto no longer a legitimate title contender, it made sense for both parties to move on. Green’s 32 years old and ready to help a top-tier playoff team. The Los Angeles Lakers — with a not so young, LeBron James at the helm — were ready to pay a price that didn’t make sense for the Raptors.

Instead, Masai Ujiri pivoted. He signed a pair of young, developmental wings, a couple of rookies, and a 24-year-old sharpshooter. The moves signaled that Toronto is no longer looking to contend, but instead is looking to rebuild or at least re-tool.

Who they added

During the dead period of the summer when the Raptors were beholden to Kawhi Leonard’s decision, Masai Ujiri made sure the front office was still active. The team signed Matt Thomas, formerly of the Iowa State and the Euroleague, to a three-year, partially guaranteed deal.  Thomas is an absolute marksman from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, that’s about were his skillset ends.

The first addition after the departure of Leonard and Green was 23-year-old-forward Stanley Johnson. Johnson is a long, athletic, and a defensive star. He also is extremely limited offensively, particularly shooting the ball. If the Raptors are able to improve his offensive game, he could be a meaningful impact player; if not, he’ll likely be overseas soon.

After that, they added Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Hollis-Jefferson displays many of the same traits as Johnson, with a slightly lower ceiling defensively. As a rookie, Hollis-Jefferson made a sizeable impact with the Nets. However, his game has yet to develop much over the course of his four years in the league.

The team then signed rookies Terence Davis and Dewan Hernandez to multi-year, partially guaranteed deals. Both players are getting standard NBA contracts, rather than two-way deals, so it appears the team is at least moderately invested in their development.

Although he wasn’t technically added to the roster, the team re-signed Patrick McCaw to a two-year $8 million deal. The deal ate into the Raptors mid-level exception and is larger than any other contract the Raptors gave out this offseason.

What the depth chart currently looks like

• Point guard: Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet
• Shooting guard: Norman Powell, Patrick McCaw, Matt Thomas, Terence Davis
• Small forward: OG Anunoby, Stanley Johnson, Malcolm Miller*
• Power forward: Pascal Siakam, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Chris Boucher*
• Center: Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Dewan Hernandez

*Malcolm Miller’s contract is non-guaranteed, Chris Boucher’s is partially guaranteed

Who can they add?

Right now, no one, at least to their standard NBA roster. Toronto has 15 players, the maximum allowable per team. They do have two open two-way contracts available at the moment, where they can add players who split time between the NBA and G-League level.

But if the Raptors are still interested in any available free-agents, they can open up a roster space without issue. Malcolm Miller’s contract is non-guaranteed, meaning the team can move on with zero cost to the cap and in actual payment.

If they were to move on from Miller, the team can still offer up to $3.5 million to any potential free agent. $3.5 million is the remaining amount of the team’s mid-level exception, a tool used to help over-the-cap teams spend on potential players.

$3.5 million is a relatively sizeable increase over the minimum and should be enough to get 99-percent of remaining free-agents. However, just because the Raptors can add someone, doesn’t mean they should.

Why they probably won’t add anyone

The maximum amount of players a team can have at any point in the season is 15, with a few rare exceptions. Right now, Toronto is in a great place. They have 15 players but can move on from one of them in a moments notice without any repercussions.

Expect the Raptors to wait until Miller’s July 24th guarantee date to see if they need an additional player.

For now, the Raptors roster appears to be set. Now, we’ll just wait to see how they perform on the court.