Reevaluating the Toronto Raptors’ buyout market options

Vince Carter

This is almost perfect, right?

Vince Carter joins the Toronto Raptors in his final season in the NBA to help them make a charge towards another trip to the NBA Finals. Almost too good to be true, right?

Maybe it is. Carter is currently coming off the bench for the Atlanta Hawks who sit with the third-worst record in the NBA at 15-41, averaging 5.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game, shooting 35-percent from the field and 29-percent from three. Statistically, those numbers are really poor.

Of the 233 players who have played more than 40 games this season and average more than 5.0 points per game, Carter ranks 228th in TS%. The question is, how much of it is down to a decline in his physical attributes, and how much of it is down to the fit around him. The Hawks, outside of the Trae Young, don’t have many offensive juggernauts on their team. Young makes everyone look better on offense, but Carter isn’t seeing the benefits.

Would the results be different for Carter if he were to be bought out and land back with the Raptors for the first time since the 2004-05 NBA season?

Potentially. The role for Carter wouldn’t be nearly as big as the one he currently possesses with the Hawks, but he adds veteran depth and the potential to be a good spot-up shooter. Those numbers don’t correlate at the moment, but with a plethora of good playmakers around him on one of the best teams in the NBA, it’s possible.

It seems unlikely, but Carter could spend his final few months in the NBA with the team that watched him become a superstar.