Finding a reliable big man isn’t easy. But with both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka set to enter free agency, the Toronto Raptors need to start thinking about replacement options.
Before this season started, a lot of commentators believed that Kawhi Leonard had left the Toronto Raptors for dead. Several critics south of the border believed that Leonard single-handedly dragged the Raptors to the NBA Finals and secured the franchise its first championship.
There is no doubt that Leonard was an integral part of the Raptors’ championship run. He hit the shot at the end of Game 7 to close out the 76ers. Leonard shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Eastern Conference Finals. Leonard was named Finals MVP. But that doesn’t mean we should downplay the contributions of everyone else.
When it is all said and done, Leonard’s most important contribution was showing this team what it takes to win it all. Year after year, the narrative was that the Raptors were a good regular season team, but couldn’t get it done in the playoffs. Last season changed all that.
Entering this year, the DNA of the remaining Raptors players had changed. They now know what it takes to win a championship. Every member of the team has carried themselves with a certain swagger because they are the NBA Champions.
This was supposed to be a transition year. But before the NBA was shut down due to COVID-19, the Raptors were sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference. They had the third-best record in the entire NBA. The Raptors even had a better record than Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
It remains to be seen if and when basketball will return this season. When that does occur, the Raptors will continue their title defense. Masai Ujiri is on record stating that the Raptors are going to die trying to defend this title. But when this season is finally over, the Raptors are going to be left with several tough decisions.
Only nine players are under contract for next season. Five or six of those are rotation players, depending on how you view Patrick McCaw. The others are Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Norman Powell and Terence Davis II.
Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris Boucher will all be free agents. VanVleet will be the Raptors’ number one priority. Ideally, they will re-sign VanVleet to a multiyear contract starting at between $17 million and $22 million annually.
The NBA salary cap is projected to increase to $115 million next season. However, the salary cap is connected to Basketball-Related Income (or “BRI”) and depending on how the rest of the season plays out, that number could very well go down. Ben Golliver of The Washington Post reported the NBA could lose $1 billion, which would significantly impact next year’s salary cap.
In any event, the Raptors won’t have much flexibility this summer. After factoring in VanVleet’s new contract (estimated at $20 million) and the Raptors’ first-round pick (No. 27 overall), the team’s payroll sits at about $108 million for 11 players. That leaves four open roster spots to be filled.
The smart money is on the Raptors re-signing either Ibaka or Gasol to a one-year contract similar to the one given to Lowry. There are only a few teams projected to have significant cap space this summer. None of which are legitimate title contenders. As such, the most any other team can offer Ibaka or Gasol is the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($9.75 million).
Offering either Ibaka or Gasol a one-year contract at $15 million to $20 million should be tempting enough to keep them in Toronto for another year. But that also leaves the Raptors without much depth in the frontcourt.
The Raptors have been a poor rebounding team for most of this season. There are a few intriguing big men projected to be available when the team will be selecting in this year’s draft. Jalen Smith out of Maryland, for instance, is someone the Raptors might want to seriously consider. He provides rebounding and shot-blocking. Smith is also capable of spacing the floor and knocking down an open 3.
But it is often difficult for rookies to come in and make an impact immediately. Big men, in general, are slower to develop than guards. As such, the Raptors may need to look to free agency to find some help upfront. Here are three players the Raptors could consider whenever the offseason starts:
Christian Wood
Christian Wood is not a household name. He is likely more famous for testing positive for Coronavirus than anything he has done on the court. But Wood is set to cash in this summer.
Wood left UNLV after his freshman season. He went undrafted in 2015. Since that time, Wood has bounced around the G-League and had a cup of coffee with several different NBA teams.
Wood was waived by the New Orleans Pelicans last July. The Pistons claimed him off waivers and invited him to training camp. In the end, Wood had to beat out Joe Johnson for one of the final spots on the Pistons’ roster.
Wood didn’t see much time early in the season. Then in January, Blake Griffin had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The Pistons followed that up, by trading Andre Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second-round pick and a bag of chips. Since that time Wood has flourished.
In 17 games since February, Wood has averaged 19.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. He is also shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range, on 3.8 attempts per game.
None of this should be surprising for anyone that has been following Wood’s career. Wood averaged 18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over the final seven games of last season with the Pelicans.
Their decision to waive Wood was a bit surprising, but the team already had Derrick Favors, Jahlil Okafor and no. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson on the roster. That didn’t leave much room for Wood.
Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer recently wrote about Wood’s ascension from obscurity to a legitimate starter. At just 24 years old, Wood has all the tools for a stretch-5 in the modern NBA.
Wood measured 6-foot-10.5 (in shoes) at the draft combine. He also recorded a 7-foot-3.25 wingspan. Wood is long and athletic. On offense, he is capable of finishing at the rim or stepping out to space the floor. On defense, Wood secures rebounds and can protect the paint.
Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported that some in the New York Knicks’ front office is enamored with Wood. The Knicks project to have significant cap space this summer. However, they won’t be the only team interested in Wood’s services.
The appeal of someone like Wood is obvious. Given his skillset, Wood is capable of playing in any number of different lineup combinations.
For a team like the Raptors, Wood could slot in at center and play alongside Siakam and Anunoby. Nick Nurse could also look to go big and play Wood at the 4, next to either Ibaka or Gasol, depending on who re-signs.
The problem for the Raptors will be price. Wood is coming off a two-year, $3.16 million contract. Wood will be looking to get paid this summer and he might be out of the Raptors’ price range.
Unless Toronto renounces all of their free agents, the most the team can offer Wood is the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Given the relatively weak free-agent class, there is a strong possibility that at least one team will offer Wood a multiyear deal starting north of $10 million annually. As such, the Raptors may need to look for a cheaper alternative.
Harry Giles III
Harry Giles III was once the top-ranked recruit in his high school class. However, has been slowed by injuries. Giles underwent surgery to repair both of his ACLs in high school.
Giles would go on to form part of the no. 2 ranked recruiting class in college basketball. Giles decided to commit to Duke and team up with eventual top 3 pick and future superstar, Jayson Tatum.
Unfortunately for Giles, he was limited during his time at Duke. Giles did not make his freshman debut until mid-December. Giles played in only 26 games and looked rusty when he did see game action. Giles averaged 3.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game in his lone season as a Blue Devil.
Despite his injury history, Giles was selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. The Portland Trail Blazers picked Giles no. 20 overall and then traded him along with Justin Jackson to the Sacramento Kings for Zach Collins. Giles missed his entire rookie season. Instead, the Kings wanted him to rehab and strengthen to prevent further injuries in the future.
Giles played 58 games during his sophomore campaign. He averaged 7 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 14 minutes of action. Giles suffered a quad contusion in late March 2019. The Kings ultimately decided to shut him down for the remainder of the season.
A sore knee caused Giles to miss this past summer league and training camp. As a result, the Kings decided to decline Giles’ $3.98 million fourth-year option. Giles is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
With all these injuries concerns, one might ask why anyone would consider signing Giles this summer.
First and foremost, Giles finally appears to be healthy. He missed the first eight games of the regular season and then was out of the rotation. But since December 29th, Giles has played in 31 of a possible 32 games.
Giles has started to show flashes of the player many expected him to become. There was a seven-game stretch between late February and early March where Giles averaged 13.9 points and 7 rebounds per game. The Kings also went 5-2 during that time. It appeared Giles was finally turning the corner.
Giles’ best game came on February 22 in a win against Leonard and the Clippers. He played a season-high 32 minutes while scoring 14 points, along with 12 rebounds, and a block.
Also, Giles is just 21 years old and has excellent size. Giles has identical measurements to Wood at 6-foot-10.5 (in shoes) with a 7-foot-3.25. Giles needs to get stronger, but given his age and injury history, Giles hasn’t been able to spend much time focused on strength training.
The Kings have expressed a desire to retain Giles. But since they declined his fourth-year option, the most the Kings can offer is a contract starting at $3.98 million. That may not be enough to keep Giles in Sactown.
Giles may not completely regain his athleticism. But Giles has an expanding offensive game and is the type of high upside, reclamation project who is worth taking a shot on. Signing Giles to a two-year contract, with a team option or partial guarantee in the second year would be a low-risk move and maintain future flexibility.
Jahlil Okafor
Before you go directly to the comment section, just hear me out.
Jahlil Okafor was a McDonald’s All-American and the top-ranked high school prospect in his class. Okafor spent one season at Duke where he averaged 17.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Okafor was named the ACC Player of the Year.
Okafor declared for the NBA Draft after his freshman season. He was selected no. 3 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers. Okafor averaged 17.5 points, 7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 30 minutes per game as a rookie, albeit for a terrible Process era 76ers team.
Unfortunately for Okafor, he was drafted into a less than ideal situation. The 76ers acquired Nerlens Noel in a draft-night trade in 2013. They followed that up with selecting Joel Embiid with the third pick in the 2014 draft. Then for some reason, the 76ers decided to take Okafor in 2015. Three centers in three consecutive drafts. Embiid was viewed as the center of the future, which left Noel and Okafor on the outside looking in.
After spending two seasons in Philadelphia, Okafor was traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with Nik Stauskas and a draft pick for Trevor Booker. Okafor played sparingly in 26 games with the Nets.
In the summer of 2018, Okafor became an unrestricted free agent. He signed a two-year, partially guaranteed contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. Okafor played 59 games in his first season with the Pelicans but more importantly focused on remaking himself.
Okafor opened up about his battle with depression. He switched to a vegan diet. The plan was that Okafor’s commitment to his physical and mental wellbeing would help him stay on the court and become a more consistent contributor. Okafor also transformed his body.
Okafor’s first season in New Orleans was nothing to write home about. But there was a nine-game stretch between late January and early February in which Okafor averaged 18.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. Okafor also averaged 16.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and one block per game over the final six games of the season.
Playing time has been hard to come by during Okafor’s second year in The Big Easy. The Pelicans acquired Derrick Favors in the offseason. Favors has started almost every game he has played this season.
The Pelicans added Jaxson Hayes through the draft. Plus, Coach Alvin Gentry has played Zion Williamson at center in some small-ball lineups. As such, it has been difficult for Okafor to get any consistent time playing time this season. However, when Okafor was actually got on the floor he has produced.
Okafor’s best game came in a win over the Detroit Pistons on January 13, 2020. Okafor dominated Drummond. He scored 25 points, along with 14 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.
There is no question that Okafor is more of a throwback big man. He would look right at home in the late 90s or early 2000s. Okafor would thrive in a traditional offense that played out of the post. But that is not the way the game is played anymore. Big men are generally asked to protect the paint and rebound. However, that doesn’t always have to be the case.
The Raptors often allow Gasol to initiate the offense from the high post. Gasol is one of the best passing big men of all time. He can survey the floor to find shooters, hit a midrange shot or take his own man down onto the block. Okafor is not the passer that Gasol is, but he could function similarly.
Okafor has become lighter and more mobile. He is capable of putting the ball on the floor. He could create opportunities for others. It would also give the Raptors’ a reliable scoring option off the bench.
Okafor may never live up to his draft position. He isn’t a unicorn capable of playing all five positions. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for him in the modern NBA.
Okafor is only 24 years old, he has great size. Okafor is 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. The Raptors could sign him at or near the veteran minimum. This franchise has revitalized the careers of many players. Okafor could be the most recent success story.