Raptors: 5 free agents still on the market Toronto could sign
By Avishai Sol
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.