NBA Insider says Raptors made a bad signing this summer: Is he right?

The mistake John Hollinger made

The worst thing Hollinger does is actually a common practice among those trying to make their argument sound the best: they find one point of comparison and wipe away the context. In this case it was his comparison to Quickley's salary this year and a "star" like James Harden.

Yes, Quickley makes a lot of money this season, $32.5 million, close to the max he could have received. That's likely more than he will be worth unless he takes a massive step forward, and he will be Toronto's highest-paid player by about $7 million.

Yet the reason he makes so much is that the Raptors structured his contract to stay flat. A true max would have increased in each successive season. By moving more money to the front of the deal, the Raptors open up financial flexibility in the future. This year he will make 23.12 percent of the salary cap (his max would have been 25 percent) but the cap is projected to rise by the maximum 10 percent each year.

That means by the fifth and final year, when Quickley is firmly in his prime and the Raptors are hopefully competing for titles, he will make just 15.79 percent of the cap. For reference, that's about what Clint Capela or Aaron Gordon made this past year, and less than what Bruce Brown made. It's a lot of money, sure, but it's hardly the towering amount Hollinger made it out to be.

Was Immanuel Quickley overpaid? Likely yes, especially given the leverage the team had and his lack of high-end track record. Yet there are a lot of reasons to expect him to continue to improve, and a good shooter and defender at the point guard posiition is an extremely valuable player even if he stops short of the "star" level.

It's healthy to look closely at the deal, but it's a bit reductive to declare it a clear mistake. This deal has a great chance to work out, and the context is important. John Hollinger painted with too broad of a brush. Now it's time for Quickley to prove him wrong.