The Toronto Raptors pulled off a surprise move on Tuesday with the signing of former Washington Wizards guard Will Barton. In order to create a roster spot, the team waived forward Juancho Hernangomez.
With the release of Hernangomez, the Raptors clear a bit of a logjam at forward and hopefully add some much-needed three-point shooting with the recently freed Barton, who had his contract bought out by the Wizards in time to sign with a playoff team. Barton has shot 37 percent from three-point range over the last four years.
With the Raptors’ moves on Tuesday came some resulting commentary from the gallery and NBA Twitter had a lot to say about Toronto’s transactions—mostly sadness about seeing Bo Cruz (Hernangomez’s starring role in the Netflix movie, Hustle) exit the building.
The Raptors surprised a lot of folks with the release of Juancho Hernangomez on Tuesday.
While Juancho was not the most productive player, seeing the NBA’s answer to Laurence Olivier get cut was harsh for some.
Bo Cruz getting cut really be hurting my heart https://t.co/Ylrvt9tG7q
— BIG Protein (@MilesDoesntCare) February 28, 2023
https://twitter.com/bigscreenleaks/status/1630666479384272896
One response wants to put the stars of Hustle together on the court by pairing Hernangomez with Anthony Edwards, who plays Kermit Wilts in the film. Perhaps Hernangomez will shoot higher than 26% from 3-point range once he leaves the Raptors.
Let’s see Bo Cruz and Kermit play on the same team. Make it happen Timberwolves! https://t.co/TNl16uB9b1
— Quis Jerome (@Quis44) February 28, 2023
Some fans wondered if perhaps Hollywood has a brighter future here.
https://twitter.com/dexterreid_/status/1630671413601337344
Barton is by no means a perfect player, as the 32-year-old is shooting under 40% on 2-pointers this season and is not a very good defensive player. Still, he can shoot, and the Raptors definitely need players that can do that.
The fact that Barton was signed on the same day that Goran Dragic was waived by the Chicago Bulls is sure to get Raptors fans all perked up after months of overall disappointment.
Juancho Hernangómez ends his tenure with the Toronto Raptors having scored more points than Goran Dragic.
— Chris Walder (@WalderSports) February 28, 2023
Farewell, good sir.
Hernangomez, who is 27 years old, was averaging 2.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game this season on just over 42 percent shooting for the Raptors. He could find a home elsewhere, but things are looking fairly slim after yet another subpar offensive season.