Sign or Malign: 3 free agent targets for the Raptors and whether they're worth it

No. 1: Buddy Hield

The modern NBA is a demanding lord, pushing teams to increase their versatility while also banging one single drum again and again: shooting. Teams don't need to jack up a 3-point shooter on every possession, but they do need players on the court who cannot be left alone on the perimeter. The more shooters a team has, the better, and the more lethal shooters you have the more success you are in store for -- exhibit 'A' being the Golden State Warriors of the last decade.

Toronto is currently trying to build a team around a more modest shooter in Scottie Barnes, and committed significant assets to a non-shooting big man in Jakob Poeltl. That means they need to invest in shooters across the rest of the roster to the highest possible amount, and that should lead their free agent scope to one Buddy Hield.

The journeyman shooting guard continues to be traded around the league and is currently with the Philadelphia 76ers. While Philly would love to re-sign him, they also have lofty cap space plans for this summer and Hield could be the odd-man out. If so, the Raptors could try to entice him to move north of the border.

Hield is currently shooting 38.5 percent from deep on a robust 7.1 attempts per game, and he is one of the game's true movement shooters. The ability to run a myriad of actions with Hield involved breaks NBA defenses who have to account for his shooting as well as the rest of the play. While he has some real defensive deficiencies, his shooting is something to treasure and build around.

The price matters, as well as the length of the contract; Hield is already 31 years old. Yet if the Raptors aren't giving away the farm, adding Hield would be an excellent way to help Scottie Barnes develop on a spaced court and help to shepherd along the offensive games of Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji. If the opportunity is there, the Raptors may need to pounce.

Verdict: Sign