The Toronto Raptors are on the verge of making their glorious return to playoff basketball, but that doesn’t mean that they are necessarily going to be as well next year. Masai Ujiri needs another strong offseason spearheaded by some solid free agents signings to keep pace with the rest of the conference.
The holes on this Raptors roster remain notable despite the fact they’ve had as much success as they have this year. This team lacks amazing perimeter shooters and the guard depth has been generally lacking. Bringing in one more solid defensive rebounder couldn’t hurt either.
Toronto’s front office will need to stay alert and take a good look at the Western Conference postseason race. Even if Toronto won’t have a ton of money to spend due to all five starters being locked in for next year, they could make some under-the-radar additions that reinforce the bench.
These 4 free agents could all fit right in with what Toronto wants to do on both sides of the ball. If they are enticed by the idea of being a reliable role player on a team that has aspirations of making the playoffs as a top-four seed next year, the raptors might win out over other competing offers.
4 Western Conference free agents the Toronto Raptors should eye.
4. Bryn Forbes, Denver Nuggets
The Raptors narrowly missed out on acquiring Forbes from the Spurs before the trade deadline, but they will get another crack at him when he hits the open market. Forbes has developed a reputation as a solid shooter, but he really stepped it up over the last few seasons.
Over the last four seasons, which included a year as a champion with the Bucks, Forbes has made 42% of his 3-pointers on just under five attempts per game. Toronto didn’t get much second-half production from Svi Mykhailiuk, and Forbes could represent an upgrade in that area.
The Toronto Raptors need a shooter like Bryn Forbes.
Arriving on a Denver team that was struggling to find quality depth behind Nikola Jokic thanks to injuries, Forbes immediately provided a stabilizing effect off the bench. He could have the same effect for a Toronto team that ranks 18th in the league in 3-point percentage despite some quality shooters in the starting lineup.
While Forbes won’t be winning any All-Defensive nominations with his shutdown play on that end, Toronto’s work with Gary Trent Jr. shows that they might have enough coaching acumen to turn Forbes around in that area. At the very least, he’d be a much-needed upgrade at shooting guard.