Raptors news: Juancho Hernangomez finds new home, team may “regret” offseason

The Toronto Raptors did not get the best of Juancho Hernangomez last season. After becoming the NBA’s resident thespian with his performance as Bo Cruz in the acclaimed movie Hustle, Juancho showed that many of his best exploits in the film were old-fashioned Hollywood movie magic.

Hernangomez’s 3-point shot was not overly effective, and he was a defensive liability. The Raptors ended up parting ways with him in the middle of the season, casting some serious doubt over his ability to stick in the NBA and carve out a role as a long-term bench piece.

It appears as though Hernangomez is running out of NBA interest and moving toward the European ranks. Perhaps this is the only way he can rehabilitate his value and show the NBA that he is worth giving one more shot.

In pursuit of that end, Hernangomez is reportedly going to Greece and signing with domestic powerhouse Panathinaikos. If he can rediscover his shot and show that he can be an impactful player after making the trip back to Europe, he might be able to wiggle back into the NBA as a backup.

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More Raptors news

• According to NBA insider Mark Medina of Sportkeeda, the Raptors will likely not consider a trade for Pascal Siakam unless Toronto can get “established players” in the return package. With Siakam a free agent after the season, it’s no wonder that talks for Pascal have slowed to a crawl lately.
• Bleacher Report declared the Raptors as one of the five teams in the NBA that will regret their offseason, with the loss of Fred VanVleet for nothing in free agency being deemed “malpractice.” A solid season from Scottie Barnes might be enough to overcome some of those doubters.

NBA news

• Tracy McGrady took a shot at 76ers star James Harden, who demanded a trade away from former Raptors coach Nick Nurse’s project in Philly. McGrady said that the request “makes zero sense to me,” saying that he doesn’t “know what he’s looking for” in leaving a team that features an MVP and future Hall of Famer in Joel Embiid.
• On the heels of the Nets and Cavaliers agreeing to play a regular season game in Paris, the Hawks and Magic will play a regular season game in Mexico City. The November 9 game will be the 32nd game the NBA has hosted in Mexico since 1992.