The Toronto Raptors need shooting as badly as any team in the league, as a promising season was undercut and ruined by the fact they never found the consistency needed to beat teams in half-court situations. The lack of 3-pointers is what really did them in last year.
Gary Trent Jr. was excellent, and OG Anunoby couldn’t miss for a stretch in the season half of the season, but the damage had been done already. Toronto was already destined for a season of play-in hijinx, and they were condemned to go through the same struggles every night, like Sisyphus pushing his boulder.
How can they avoid a fate that commonly only befalls the most tragic of Greek stories? By being active in free agency. Even with many of the big names expected to return and command huge salaries, there is enough financial wiggle room for them to make some big additions.
These three players have all made their mark as high-end snipers in this league, even if it is to varying degrees of success. With one of them coming to Toronto, Masai Ujiri can rest assured knowing that he took a big step towards making this team competitive once again.
3 shooters the Toronto Raptors can sign in free agency.
3. Max Strus, Miami Heat
Strus is another “Heat Culture” All-Star who came from nowhere and has since showed that he is a worthy NBA rotation player for a team with eyes on a championship prize. Strus could bring his skills to Toronto if they meet his price and turn him into a valued member of the team’s bench.
Strus has shot just under 38% from 3-point range, including 41% in 2021-22. Strus is nowhere near as good as Trent right now, but he is on the same level as a 3-point shooter. With Trent likely in line for a bigger deal elsewhere, Strus stands out as the potential replacement.
The Toronto Raptors could sign Max Strus for cheap.
No one will mistake Strus for Jimmy Butler in terms of his defensive impact, and there is a question of how much he could add to his game at this stage of his career. Will paying a player with his skillset be the type of contract that comes back to haunt this franchise?