No. 3: Neemias Queta
One of the best per-minute players at the center position last season, Neemias Queta nonetheless re-signed with the Boston Celtics on what was essentially a minimum contract for the next three seasons. For a Toronto Raptors team that needs center depth, he was an obvious choice to target and outbid the defending champions for.
Last season, only 10 players in the league averaged at least 16 points and 13 rebounds per 36 minutes; of that group Queta was first with 2.3 blocks per 36, and also added 1.4 steals and shot an efficient 64.4 percent from the field. Playing on a 64-win team that won the championship, he had the most win shares per 48 minutes on the entire roster. The Portuguese seven-footer is still just 25 years old with room to continue developing.
One of the difficulties for Queta is that he not only didn't get a true payday this summer, he is likely to be buried on the Celtics over the next few seasons simply due to a plethora of bodies at the position. Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford make up the rotation when both are healthy, but even with Porzingis rehabbing to start the season, Xavier Tillman Sr. and Luke Kornet will figure heavily in the replacement plan. There are not a lot of minutes to hand to Queta, this season or beyond.
In Toronto he could have been a full-time backup to Jakob Poeltl, leveraging his rebounding and shot-blocking in a similar role. He is purely a play finisher on offense but tends to finish a lot of them, and his rebounding ability is a real weapon.
Queta likely can't play enough minutes to be a full-time starter, but he remains one of the league's most underrated players and would have been a steal as the Raptors' backup center.