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Toronto Raptors: Who will play center for Raptors in 2020?

By Jason Mills

Toronto Raptors - Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)
Toronto Raptors - Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Derrick Favors, 6’9″ power forward/center

Toronto Raptors
TORONTO, CANADA – OCTOBER 22: The Toronto Raptors (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Toronto Raptors opened their 2019/20 season in New Orleans, where they can now find a veteran free agent to play power forward/center. In Derrick Favors, the Raptors could acquire a six-foot nine-inch power-forward/center who could backup Pascal Siakam or whoever gets hired to start at center.

It’s been ten years since the New Jersey Nets drafted the steady, if unspectacular, forward at the 2010 draft third overall. Derrick Favors was traded the last off-season, after eight and a half seasons in Utah, to the New Orleans Pelicans for two second-round draft picks. In Favors’ single season in New Orleans, he averaged nine points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

His scoring numbers are down from his career-high of 16.4 back in 2015/16, which came in 32 minutes per game.  Since then, Favors has not averaged more than 28 minutes per game in a season.  He is a free-agent having signed a two-year deal in July of 2018, which paid him 17.6 million dollars this season.

Derrick Favors would not be an expensive piece to the puzzle for the Toronto Raptors to acquire. At age 29 and already playing a backup role, he is a player the Raptors could target in free agency at a reasonable price. Should Serge Ibaka give Toronto a hometown discount where his contract could be structured favorably, Derrick Favors could be acquired for between 12-15 million a season on a two-year deal.

Favors would give Toronto more consistent scoring than Marc Gasol did this season and would cost significantly less. One consideration is Derrick Favors scored nine points a game on 6.6 field goal attempts.  In contrast, Gasol scored 7.5 points a game on 6.3 shot attempts. Favors will give you more.

One main flaw is that Derrick Favors only shot the three-pointer at 14.3 percent this season and is only at 21 percent for his career. The Raptors did have their struggles scoring around the basket in 2020. According to teamrankings.com, the Toronto Raptors averaged 45.9 points in the paint, ranking 21st  in the NBA, and Derrick Favors can help in that category.