1 Dream, 1 reach, 1 realistic free agent for Raptors to target

Realistic Free Agent: Buddy Hield

If the Toronto Raptors are building an ideal team around Scottie Barnes, they will try to find an elite shooter at the 2 who can defend opposing guards. Many of the most successful teams in the league have found such a player; the last few champions started players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Klay Thompson and Danny Green who all fit that bill to varying degrees.

Those players are few and far between, however, and the Raptors may need to decide to prioritize one side of that equation or the other. Gary Trent Jr. was a C+ version of both and didn't move the needle over the past few seasons. A player like Isaac Okoro could be an option if the Raptors choose the defensive side of the equation, and a player like Buddy Hield would fit the bill for an elite shooter who brings some defensive question marks.

Hield is a gunner, able to shoot off movement from any spot on the floor. He is extremely comfortable getting shots up at a high volume, and he has averaged at least 9.5 3-point attempts per 36 minutes for five straight seasons. He finished in the Top 5 in 3-point makes in five different seasons, and he already ranks 22nd in league history in made 3-pointers; he will pass JJ Redick and Dirk Nowitzki by Christmas this year.

The court would open up as defenses key to Hield, and the two-man actions he and Immanuel Quickley could run would be lethal. He would also serve as something of a placeholder for Gradey Dick; the Raptors could offer him a large two-year contract and then either re-sign him to a lower number or let him walk as Gradey Dick grows into the role and Hield ages into his mid-30s.

Things seem unlikely to continue for Hield in Philadelphia, and as other teams chase the market's biggest names, Buddy Hield looks like a realistic option to accept a contract to play for a team like Toronto.