Even when the Toronto Raptors seemingly have their 20-man training camp roster ironed out following the signing of Gabe Brown to an Exhibit 10 contract, there are players in the free agent miasma getting linked to Toronto. After his showing at the Rico Hines runs, Jarrett Culver is being mentioned as a Raptors target.
After just two years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the No. 6 overall pick was quickly disposed of. Following one year with the Grizzlies in which playing time proved infrequent, Culver is now on the brink of seeing his NBA career go down the drain.
The Raptors might be able to give Culver one last chance in the NBA, provided that one non-guaranteed deal gets ditched and Toronto has one more spot to play around with. There may be some mutual interest between Culver and some of the Raptors’ players if his wardrobe is anything to go by.
Culver has been spotted at the Hines scrimmages and more assorted offseason work wearing Raptors gear. While this hardly indicates that Masai Ujiri has discretely signed him to a contract, it might show that the idea of kicking the tires on Culver is permeating around the building in Toronto.
Jarrett Culver on Robin Lopez. GOODNESS.
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 2, 2020
(➡️ @NHTSAgov) pic.twitter.com/MZmCqf8zbW
Will the Toronto Raptors sign Jarrett Culver?
The 6-5 Culver averaged 18.5 points per game during his final year in Lubbock while helping the Red Raiders come inches away from a national championship. The key to NBA success was getting his 3-point shot working, and he never really got into a groove with Minnesota.
After shooting just 40% from the field and 28% from 3-point range while missing more free throws than he’s made, it’s fair to question Culver’s offensive potential. Then again, Nick Nurse has taken worse offensive players and turned them into solid scorers, so Culver wouldn’t be the most outrageous reclamation project.
At his best, Culver might be able to replace the production that Svi Mykhailiuk was providing early in the season. Why not give him the standard Raptors “non-guaranteed that becomes fully guaranteed when you make the opening day roster” deal and see what he’s got?
That's definitely Jarrett Culver in a bunch of Raptors gear.
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) August 4, 2022
If Culver doesn’t end up making an opening day roster, that might be his last chance in the NBA. The Raptors, a team known for trying to build up reclamation projects, are one of the few teams in the league who are adequately equipped with the tools to get him on track.