The Toronto Raptors are reaching a crossroads of identity. With Nick Nurse implementing a new offensive pecking order and Kyle Lowry looking more like a trade candidate every week it may be time to turn the page on this, the sweetest chapter of Raptors basketball.
Selling the house does not mean Toronto have to live on the street. The Raptors are currently in like for a playoff spot in the East, and while trading Lowry may send Toronto into a rebuild, it doesn’t mean they have to suck.
If Lowry is moved we will need a new point guard to replace him. Malachi Flynn is currently playing in the G-League tournament, and besides Fred VanVleet there’s nobody on our roster who can spearhead an offense and consistently make plays for others. Toronto has some combo-guards and point-forwards in Normam Powell and Pascal Siakam, but no other true point guards.
Luckily there is free agent talent available, as any of these five players might be able to give Toronto some depth.
These 5 free agents could help give the Raptors some depth
No. 1 Isaiah Thomas
You may turn up your nose at a 31-year-old, 5’9, injury-prone, point guard. He hasn’t been an all-star in five years, he was ushered out by the Cavaliers, Lakers, Nuggets, and Wizards in as many years, in Washington he couldn’t crack a guard rotation of Shabazz Napier and Ish Smith. Ok, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.
Still, when looking at the free-agent market, one has to keep in mind what a team is asking from these players. What do the Raptors get in Thomas? A strong offensive player who can occasionally get you 20. An adult who’s been around the block enough times not to make dumb mistakes with the ball. And most important of all, a man with something to prove.
Thomas could be reborn in Toronto
Thomas was an MVP candidate not that long ago. He’ll never reach those heights again but he has to have something left in the tank. Even his brief cameo with the Wizards last season showed that he can still produce on the offensive end.
This is a player with pride and something to prove. Sure he’s a defensive liability, but the Raptors have a team full of perimeter defenders. No doubt they’d be able to hide Thomas on that end if they chose to pick him up.
No. 2 Shabazz Napier
A similar cost/benefit ratio to Isaiah Thomas, Napier is less likely to win your team playoff game but also less likely to completely flame out. This might be the most likely pickup of anyone on this list. Why? Because he’s been the same solid bench point guard his entire life, nine points, four assists, decent enough minutes.
Picking up Napier would be a classic Masai Ujiri move. Finding a player who knows who he is and plugging an adult into a system role to improve the rest of the team. The Raptors won’t be turning any heads after a Lowry trade and neither will Napier.
Napier can be a quality backup point guard for the Raptors
What he will be is a place holder. Someone who can keep the team respectable while the front office plans its next move. His unique blend of sharp passing and clutch shooting should be warmly received in Toronto.
With Lowry and VanVleet sharing the floor for heavy minutes, the lack of a true backup point guard has done a number on Toronto whenever they lift the starters. Coming off of the best offensive season of his career, Napier should be a quality reserve that can take some of the pressure off of Toronto’s star guard duo.
No. 3 Dewayne Dedmon
It’s unfortunate how this guy has seemly fallen off the face of the earth. For two years, Dedmon was one of the biggest NBA nerd darlings around given his rebounding and defense. However, due to the former Hawks and Spurs big man failing to become a versatile offensive player, he’s found to hard to stick in the pros.
Dedmon would be a great fit with the Raptors regardless if they decide to trade Lowry or anyone else on the roster. Aron Baynes is simply not getting it done on either side of the floor, and they could use someone that was a starter for the last few years to challenge him.
Dedmon offers Toronto plenty of muscle in the post
The team’s two biggest weaknesses right now are rebounding and at-rim finishing, and while Siakam has reverted back to his 2019 form over the last few games, team scoring is still lacking on the whole.
That’s where Dedmon would come in. Think of him as a poor man’s Serge Ibaka. A long, lean, 7-footer, who has nice soft hands and a passable stroke from 3. If nothing else he’ll be able to fill minutes we’ve been giving to Baynes, who, for all his lovable qualities, has contributed very little this season.
No. 4: Kenneth Faried
Similar thinking to the Dedmon idea, Faried won’t help the team scoring the ball, but he could single-handedly fix the Raptors rebounding struggles. You don’t get nicknamed The Manimal for loafing around the paint. While he stands just 6-8, his verticality makes him a viable power forward or small center in this league.
Faried playing small ball five would be a strong addition on the defensive end as well. There’s a positional hole on the Raptors roster right now for guarding the Giannis/LeBron/Ben Simmons jumbo-forwards, at least when OG Anunoby sits.
Faried’s brand of post dominant could help the Raptors
Siakam and Boucher are too small, Baynes is too slow, and Yuta Watanabe is fun, but you can’t seriously expect him to hold LeBron. While Faried has found it difficult to get some consistent time in the league after leaving the Denver Nuggets and splitting time between the Nets and Rockets in 2018-19, but he’s still worth an NBA roster spot.
Faried would at least be able to match those guys physically. Envision him coming off the bench and getting five points and six rebounds in 15 minutes. That’s all Masai wants.
No. 5: Tyson Chandler
Last seen on the Houston Rockets, Chandler at 38 years old is still chugging along and offering NBA teams the same thing he always has; defense, rebounding, rim running, and leadership. While no longer the player he used to be, the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year can still offer a team in those departments.
He’s a body the Raptors can throw at the league’s giants without fear. Against Embiid, Chandler is a better option than Boucher or Baynes, as he has a rough edge around his game that those two simply do not.
Chandler would make the Raptors a tougher team
Chandler is also a world-renown locker room guy. It can never hurt to have a veteran leader on the bus, especially if we move Lowry. A culture guy who can support the team’s younger players could be a major boon
This would be another guy to help the Raptors move away from Baynes. Maybe it’s too early to give up on him, but with the midway mark of the season fast approaching it’s starting to look like now or never for him. Whether he plays or not, Tyson Chandler will have a positive impact on the Raptors. That’s for certain.