NBA free agency is just over a month away, and the Toronto Raptors are going to have a busy offseason. Besides drafting a player in the lottery and their hopes to re-sign Kyle Lowry and Gary Trent Jr., One of their most important priorities is to get a center.
The center position was the main reason why the Raptors struggled during the 2020-21 season. They didn’t have anyone who can be the anchor like Serge Ibaka to give them some consistency on defense and enough offensive skill to make some easy baskets every now and again.
Khem Birch was decent in the role, and he will most likely stay with the Raptors, but they still need another center who can defend, block shots, and rebound well if they want to contend, or at least maintain their winning ways.
The beauty of this free agency class is that it will enable the Raptors to either splurge on a long-term investment or opt for a more economical decision. Both philosophies make tons of sense for Toronto.
These are the first choices for the Toronto Raptors
These are the choices that the Raptors should sign at the center position right away. They are not necessarily the players that will help the Raptors contend, but they’re here to take the position that the Raptors were missing last year, help them make the playoffs once again, and provide long-term stability.
Richaun Holmes
This was a career year for Richaun Holmes. The 27-year-old averaged 14.2 points per game, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game with Sacramento. He will definitely get a lot of interest from teams across the league, and the Raptors are no exception. Holmes would be an ideal fit for the Raptors. He can defend, grab rebounds, and be a pest on defense.
Toronto was interested in trading for Holmes at this year’s trade deadline. According to Shams Charania, multiple teams had an interest in Holmes, with the Hornets also kicking the tires on him.
This season, 9 players attempted 150+ floaters. Ranked by efficiency:
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) June 11, 2021
1. Richaun Holmes (1.228)
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2. Dončić (1.196)
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3. Tyus Jones (0.993)
4. Trae Young (0.962)
5. Sexton (0.921)
6. Morant (0.886)
7. Garland (0.859)
8. Quickley (0.811)
9. Elfrid Payton (0.788)
His salary from last season was $5 million. And because of his career year, he could get somewhere between $10-20 million per year. If the Raptors pay Holmes $10-15 million per year, then that’s a great deal.
The Raptors have the space to make the addition, the need for his services, and the staff around him to help him prove that his brief stint with the Kings was not the product of playing alongside a limited batch of talent around him.
Nerlens Noel
He’s not going to give teams big stats on offense. Instead, Noel does the little things on the defensive end. That’s why they should target Noel in the offseason. He was the only player in the league to average one steal and two blocks per game last year, and he helped anchor a stifling defense in New York.
He’s a cheap player to sign. His current contract is one year $5 million with the Knicks. I can see him getting a similar type of contract with Toronto. Just let him dominate the paint and the Raptors could work on potentially fixing their deficiencies down low.
The Toronto Raptors’ second choices
These are the choices they should acquire if the Toronto Raptors could not get Holmes or Noel. If one of these players does sign with the Raptors, they should come off the bench instead of starting, as they are not starting-caliber bigs. Either of these guys could be a backup center to Khem Birch if he re-signs with Toronto.
Zach Collins
When he first entered the league out of Gonzaga, Collins had potential. Despite suffering a stress fracture in his ankle that made him miss the entire 2020-21 season, Collins should be a target for a lot of teams willing to gamble on his potential after failing to hit his stride in Portland
He is a restricted free agent this summer. He can only sign an offer sheet with another team. But the Blazers can match it. The Blazers may not want him back because of his injury history.
Still, Collins is only 23 years old. There is still a lot of upside with him, especially as a scorer and rebounder. Toronto should absolutely get him to see what his potential is and if the Raptors can pull it out of him. They had some success with DeAndre’ Bembry, so why not try again,
Dewayne Dedmon
Another guy that can help the Raptors is Dedmon, who was one of the more underrated mid-season acquisitions when he joined Miami. He can help the team on the defensive end by adding some muscle inside and a feathery scoring touch.
Ibaka, when he was with the Raptors, was the defensive anchor of the team. Dedmon is not going to be the anchor that Ibaka was, if he can help on the defensive end, that will help the Raptors a lot. Having made 70% of his shots last year, Dedmon can show he is one of the more underrated offensive centers in the league.
Options for the Toronto Raptors that are Long shots
These two players would be first-choice options if it weren’t for their unique situations. One player had a major surgery that could affect his game, and the other is a restricted free agent who could be very expensive.
Serge Ibaka
When Ibaka left in the offseason, the Raptors’ defense left with him. We just didn’t know that at the time. Everyone knew that Aron Baynes wouldn’t be Ibaka 2.0. They just thought that Baynes would be a solid addition to the roster who could fill in Ibaka’s shoes. Clearly, he failed.
Not re-signing Ibaka was a bad decision from Masai Ujiri. He could write that wrong by re-signing Ibaka this summer. However, Ibaka has a player option with the Clippers. Ibaka could stay with the Clippers and keep his $9 million deal. He could also opt-out, which still has a non-zero chance of happening.
Getting Ibaka back to Toronto would be a great move if it were not for his back injury which required surgery. Because of that, and the fact his season averages are down this year than last year, Ibaka might not be the same player that he once was.
It might not be a wise decision to sign him if he is the starting center. But as a backup, that’s not a bad pickup.
Jarrett Allen
Jarrett Allen is the best center in free agency. He does everything that a center does especially a center that the Raptors need.
The only concern I have with Allen is his contract. He will be a restricted free agent. Any team can sign him to an offer sheet. If they match it, Allen is staying in Cleveland.
Would love to know if Ujiri, Webster and the Raptors tried to get in on snatching Jarrett Allen in the Harden blockbuster deal.
— J.E. Skeets (@jeskeets) January 14, 2021
Allen could re-sign with Cleveland with a $100 million-plus contract. It’s going to take more than that for the Raptors to sign him. But is that worth it?
They should try to sign him, but not for $100 million. That’s a lot of money to get someone like Allen. They still need to sign more players, and they’re going to be unable to do that with Allen’s deal taking up so much room.
It might be too much of a risk to sign him despite Allen his age and talent. However, if they can pay him four years and around $80 million, go get Allen.