The Toronto Raptors, like every other NBA team except for the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, are watching the NBA Finals on TV. While Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler are going to steal the show, Miami and Denver are here because they have two extremely deep rosters.
While Denver features a collection of role players that are perfect compliments to the offensive mastery of Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Heat is an army of undrafted players that continue to play above what draft experts thought they were capable of as prospects.
Any executive worth their salt would be trying to emulate what Denver and Miami have created for themselves. The best way to do that might be convincing one of the role players in this team to come to Toronto (or perhaps forcing them via trade).
The Raptors should put a ton of attention into evaluating these three players and figuring out if they should splash the cash to bring one of them over to Toronto. The team will have cap space if they let one of the big names from last year go, and these three might be solid bench replacements.
3 NBA Finals players the Toronto Raptors should sign.
3. Gabe Vincent
Vincent is one of Miami’s many unheralded bench players that finally started to get the shine they deserved during the team’s postseason run. Boston came into that series with some very good bench players, yet it was Vincent who helped slice and dice them regularly in the seven-game slugfest.
The backup point guard issue may not be resolved via the NBA Draft, leaving it to Masai Ujiri to find someone in free agency. Vincent has been a reliable double-digit scorer, all while being enough of a pest on the defensive end to serve as a bargain-bin version of free-agent-to-be Fred VanVleet off the bench.
Gabe Vincent could fit the Toronto Raptors.
Vincent might not be as much of a deadeye shooter as some of the other options on the market. His 33% 3-point success rate from deep this season is right on par with his career average. Will the Raptors be confident in whomever they hire to get the most out of Vincent?
While “Heat Culture” seems to help players from less heralded backgrounds play like elite players all of a sudden, Vincent’s style of play, even with some of the slight concerns over his 3-point ceiling, seems sustainable enough to help him succeed if he goes to Toronto.
2. Max Strus
Strus may not have started off too hot in the NBA Finals, but he is a much better player than that stat line would indicate. Like many players that have been linked to the Raptors in recent months, Strus will make his name as a player that can light it up from deep when he gets hot.
Strus was a 38% shooter who averaged 11.1 points per game in the last two seasons. Due to the fact he may never be a truly elite defender, the Raptors might be able to add a bench flamethrower that won’t break the bank and also fills one of the biggest needs on the club.
Max Strus might appeal to the Toronto Raptors.
Why would the Heat let Strus go? Well, Pat Riley is always in the market for stars, and the new luxury tax rules might make some teams more willing to part ways with some big names to save money. Strus’ salary could be offloaded in order to clear more space for a star.
Strus might be a prime overpay candidate if teams get seduced by his playoff run, so the Raptors need to be very reasonable with regard to the offer they make for him in free agency. If that ends up winning out, he might be on his way north of the border.
1. Bruce Brown
Brown was one of the more unheralded standouts on a Nets team that was marred by the drama surrounding Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. After signing with Denver, Brown proved to be yet another perfectly complementary role player that has pushed the Nuggets so far into the postseason picture.
11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game are all standout figures for one of the few bench players who consistently gets run in Denver, but what really makes him a terrific Raptors fit is the extraordinary versatility. Brown can play point guard or a small ball forward with aplomb and excellence.
Can the Toronto Raptors land Bruce Brown?
Brown has a $6.8 million player option he will assuredly decline, but Denver has enough financial wiggle room to sign Brown in free agency. The competition for him will be fierce with or without Ujiri deciding to make an effort to sign the versatile chess piece.
Brown is an unrealistic target in the eyes of many, but there is nothing wrong with trying to pull off such a lofty goal. After all, the Raptors need someone who can handle the rock without compromising their defensive integrity, and he definitely fits the bill here.