No. 1: De'Anthony Melton
Our final entrant on the list is not a forward, but rather such a shocking value on the market that the Toronto Raptors would have to consider him anyway. De'Anthony Melton was one of our most-discussed free agent targets for the Raptors heading into the offseason, and as the Philadelphia 76ers remade their team it left Melton available on the market at a bargain.
He chose to sign a one-year deal at the full Mid-Level Exception with the Golden State Warriors, where he will have a solid role -- perhaps as a starter -- and an outside shot at playing deep into the playoffs. The Raptors can't offer that small upside, but they could have put Melton at the top of the list for backcourt playing time with Immanuel Quickley.
Toronto knew they needed to improve their perimeter defense this summer, and they brought back D.J. Carton, drafted Jamal Shead and traded for Davion Mitchell. Melton is in that same range as a perimeter defender and light years better as an offensive player, a capable ball-handler or cutter who has a smooth jumpshot and is used to playing off of a high-post star in Joel Embiid.
The Raptors invested in lower-tier options to meet that need and spent precious little to do so; if they had committed more to Melton they would have a player who could actually move the needle, either starting at the 2 or as the team's third guard. He was likely worth $20 million per season or more and signed for just $12.8 million; that's a lot of value for a player who met a lot of needs for Toronto.
None of these players will change the direction of the Raptors' franchise, but each could have addressed some real needs on the roster and signed for massive bargains this summer.