3 stars the Toronto Raptors should sign in free agency this summer
The Toronto Raptors are in the process of reshaping their entire roster. Scottie Barnes is the linchpin of the entire rebuild, but otherwise the entire roster around him is being reset. Most of the rotation is new to the team this season and the makeover could continue if Gary Trent Jr. walks this summer and Chris Boucher is included in a trade, both likely outcomes.
One option to reshape the roster is through the draft, and Toronto could have as many as three valuable picks with which to do so. Another is via trade, and a number of the players on the roster are candidates to be traded this summer.
The third door is free agency, an area where the Raptors have not had much success in recent history. Players like Kawhi Leonard and Fred VanVleet have walked in free agency, while the players to sign in Toronto have been largely role players. Despite its size and cosmopolitan nature, Toronto is not viewed as a top tier destination for NBA stars.
Even so, there is a chance the Raptors' combination of city, cap space and young talent entices a star to come to town; not the elite tier of stars, but those players are not changing teams this summer. Could they get a lower-tier star or even former star to join up and help them win? It's a distinct possibility.
Let's look at three veteran stars and see how they would fit on the Raptors if they decided to move north of the border.
No. 3: Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson's fight to return from his two major leg injuries will always be a success story, as he was a starter on the 2022 championship team, but he clearly is not the same player that he used to be. For the Golden State Warriors, his decline has pushed him into a bench role and reduced his role with the team.
The Toronto Raptors would obviously love to have prime Klay Thompson, but they also have a number of shot creators and need to add shooting; even as he ages there are few better shooters in the league than Klay, and his ability to get hot and take over a game would be a strong complement to the less violent, step-by-step scoring style of Scottie Barnes.
Thompson also is unlikely to be looking for max money, so the Raptors could both have a chance to outbid other suitors and pay Thompson without committing all of their money. He could be a starting option for a season and then transition into a bench role, and he would bring a lot of championship experience to the team's culture.