Toronto Raptors: 3 free agent centers Toronto could use to fill a roster spot
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have come completely unglued this season, as the absence of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka is noticeable the second you turn on any given Raptors game. Aron Baynes playing arguably the worst season of his career certainly isn’t helping matters on a team struggling to find frontcourt depth outside of him.
The Raptors’ chances of making the postseason, already slim despite the advantage of the play-in tournament, are fading fast.
With Baynes struggling, Chris Boucher more of a power forward than true center, and G League star Alize Johnson now balling with the Brooklyn Nets, Nick Nurse and Masai Ujiri need to act quickly if they are to secure the services of a free agent big.
Doing so would give the Raptors depth for this season and a chance to see if one of these free agents could be on the squad next year. This gives Nurse another opportunity to salvage a fledgling NBA career.
The market is full of rebounding bigs that can be an anchor inside as well as promising offensive-minded players that never got a fair shake.
If one of these players ends up in Toronto, they could send Baynes to the bench permanently if they hit their stride or give Nurse a quality backup. With two open roster spots, what is Ujiri waiting for?