5 former Raptors the team can re-sign this summer in free agency

No. 4: James Johnson

James Johnson is the NBA's jouyneyman enforcer, a martial arts expert and black-belt who instantly brings a team toughness and energy. Now 37 years old, Johnson is sticking around the league not because of his skill level but because he can teach a young team how to stand up for themselves.

Johnson began his career with the Chicago Bulls but was traded to the Toronto Raptors in his second season. He established his career with the Raptors, was traded to the Sacramento Kings after his third season, then found his way back to the team in free agency in 2014 for another two-year stint.

If the Raptors move on from Garrett Temple and are looking for an experienced veteran to play sparingly but help to mentor their young core, Johnson is an intriguing player to sign to a minimum deal. Johnson can't shoot and essentially cannot score, but the Raptors wouldn't be signing him to make a difference on the court.

No. 3: Yuta Watanabe

The Phoenix Suns made a number of free agent signings this past summer at the minimum, and the players they added largely failed to estalbish themselves as regular rotation members and were scattered across the league at the Trade Deadline. One such player was Yuta Watanabe, a 6'9" forward who was sent to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Watanabe will now hit free agency and is a valuable buy-low opportunity for a team to make. He is just one season removed from hitting 44.4 percent of his 3-pointers with the Brooklyn Nets and still hit a respectable 36.1 percent with the Suns this past season.

After the undrafted Watanabe began his season with Memphis from 2018-20, he signed with the Raptors and played two seasons, appearing in 88 games and having a few memorable moments for the team as a role player. It would cost very little for Toronto to bring him back and see what he may still have to offer.