3 Bargain free agents the Toronto Raptors missed out on this summer

No. 2: Saddiq Bey

Part of the difficulty in playing the free agency game is that much of the cost of a contract is in the first year, and the Raptors are not in a position to pay to maximize their competitive level for this upcoming season. Signing a player to a one or two-year deal means paying for their play this year, and the Raptors don't need to prioritize that.

That's why Saddiq Bey would have been such a fascinating addition for Toronto this summer. The onetime Villanova wing was drafted 19th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, a few slots before Immanuel Quickley, but after a strong rookie season has seen his career trend downward over the past few years before suffering an ACL tear in March that will keep him out for most, if not all, of next season.

Bey is an intriguing buy-low candidate, especially for a Raptors team in desperate need of help on the forward line. He is 6'7" with a strong base, capable of playing either forward position. He has 223 career starts to his name and is just 25 years old, so when he recovers from the ACL tear he could be a steal on the three-year, $20 million contract that he signed, with the upside to become a starter-caliber forward once again.

That could be someone the Raptors could use on their team as they push back into the playoff race over the coming years, or as a valuable trade chip to a contender they manufactured merely by signing Bey in free agency. The Washington Wizards were the win-later team who made the bet on Bey, but perhaps Toronto could have done the same and landed the upside potential instead.