The Toronto Raptors’ free agency blitz began as soon as the squad started to feel the sting of their season abroad in Tampa. Knowing that they could face the possibility of potentially losing Kyle Lowry in the offseason, the Raptors must navigate what could be a potentially very fruitful market for shooting guards.
The No. 1 priority should be figuring out a way to re-sign their restricted free agent in Gary Trent Jr. However, if the Raptors either lose out on him or are able to bring him back for a contract that is slightly below market value, they should pivot towards looking to add some shooting off of the bench.
The Raptors could end up positioned as one of the few teams that could make several substantial additions to the squad this season due to their cap space. With how bad the second unit was last year, some fresh faces are needed.
One of these four players could easily make the jump to Toronto, giving the Raptors the scoring punch they need to get back on the right track in a very competitive division.
4 shooting guards that could be Toronto Raptors free agency targets.
4. Kent Bazemore, Golden State Warriors
One of Steph Curry’s best friends in San Francisco, Bazemore used this most recent season in Golden State to re-establish himself as one of the more underrated 3-and-D wings in the game. His defensive stats with the Warriors last year are extremely impressive considering the lack of publicity he gets.
Cleaning the Glass (subscription required) not only showed that the Warriors were 8.9 points per 100 possessions better when Bazemore was on the floor, but they allowed 5.5 fewer points on defense alone. This is the fourth straight season in which Bazemore was a plus defender by this metric.
5k career points for @24Bazemore 👏 pic.twitter.com/T1eemJjvAP
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 24, 2021
Kent Bazemore could give the Toronto Raptors some shooting.
Bazemore is also a quality sniper from beyond the arc, as evidenced by the fact that he made 41% of his 3-point attempts last season. Sure, Curry attracting so much attention helped him get open shots, but Bazemore proved in Atlanta he can get buckets, and he should be able to do the same in Toronto.
While they are in the toughest division in the league, Toronto could give a veteran like Bazemore the perfect combination of playing time, financial compensation, and a chance to have some success in the postseason. He could be an ideal guard off of the bench for Nurse without paying too dear of a price.