Sign or Malign: 3 free agent targets for the Raptors and whether they're worth it
The Toronto Raptors will have a lot of optionality available to them this offseason. They have acquired a number of additional draft picks, they could have as many as three solid draft picks, and they will be able to either retain their roster and stay over the cap, or let players like Gary Trent Jr. and Bruce Brown leave and open up around $47 million in cap space (give or take).
The team will need to make a decision on their summer game plan before the offseason begins, so it's natural for the team to be thinking ahead, especially as the team is locked in a historic losing streak and may not win another game the rest of the way. If the Raptors work to open up that cap space, which players could they be targeting?
Bleacher Report recently published a list of three free agent targets for each team, and it gives us an interesting start to evaluating the free agent field. Should the Raptors pursue any of these three players at the price they will likely command? Let's look at each of the three and determine if Toronto should "sign" them or "malign" the prospect of doing so.
No. 3: Malik Monk
After dominating in college at Kentucky, Malik Monk looked like a combo guard who could share playmaking duties and absolutely light up an NBA scoreboard. His career was slow to get off the ground, however, as Monk was something of a flop in Charlotte before reviving his career on a buy-low contract by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Monk has subsequently blossomed playing under Mike Brown on the Sacramento Kings, thriving in a Sixth Man role and is currently the favorite for Sixth Man of the Year. He is averaging 15.6 points, 5.2 assists and 2.1 3-pointers per game, all off of the bench. If the Kings won't pay up for his services this summer, could Monk look to sign elsewhere?
The issue with signing in Toronto is that with Immanuel Quickley entrenched in the starting lineup it would be difficult to play both of the smaller guards together; the Raptors could do it in stints, but Monk would likely need to come off of the bench again. If he is amenable, his combination of scoring, shooting and playmakign could be valuable to juicing their second unit.
It's difficult to justify paying a significant amount for his services, but he is still only 26 years old and won't cripple their cap sheets moving forward. If he will sign for either a short-term deal or a reasonably-priced deal, it may be worth pulling the trigger.
Verdict: Sign