3 Free Agent forwards the Raptors can sign if key player walks away from the team

No. 2: Saddiq Bey

Signing a forward like Cedi Osman would be a stopgap, a short-term option to fill the backup small forward position for a year. The complete opposite end of the spectrum would be signing Saddiq Bey, the 19th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft who played 63 games for the Atlanta Hawks last season before tearing his ACL. He had surgery in late March, so he could potentially miss all of next season.

That reality has obvious depressed his free agent market, but just a year prior to the injury he was worth five second-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks. That could mean they are planning to bring him back on a bargain deal, maintain his Bird Rights, then sign him to a larger deal once he proves he is healthy.

If that's their plan, however, they are taking their time with it, and another team could step in and lure Bey away. The Toronto Raptors can afford to be patient, and signing Bey to a "2+1" contract where the first two seasons are guaranteed and the third season is a player option for Bey to hit th eopen market once he proves himself healthy could work for both sides. The deal would be at a lower number than Bey would get were he healthy, but more than the minimum to incentivize him to leave the Hawks.

Bey is 6'7" with a 6'11" wingspan and a strong frame, giving him utility at either forward position. He is a career 35.2 percent 3-point shooter but shoots 84.2 percent from the free-throw line, so there is upside for his shot form to stabilize and that percentage to go up. He is a good rebounder and finisher and would be an intriguing buy-low opportunity for the Raptors.