After the Raptors waived Colin Castleton last week, I noted how that decision moved the team one step closer to a fully locked-in constructed roster.
Toronto still has one main roster vacancy to fill, and while I firmly advocate for Canadian standout AJ Lawson to fill the spot, it doesn't mean the Raptors can't still take a swing at a couple of guys in the meantime to play out the field.
And it seems the Raptors' latest free agency news is quite indicative of that, as the team announced yesterday that it was signing French big man Olivier Sarr to an Exhibit 10 contract.
Olivier Sarr joins the Raptors on non-guaranteed deal
According to the Raptors' official news release, "Per team policy, the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed."
If the last name Sarr rings a bell to you, that's because Olivier is the older brother of Alex, who the Washington Wizards selected in the 2024 NBA Draft with the second overall pick. The 26-year-old entered the league as an undrafted prospect in the 2021 NBA Draft after spending four years at the collegiate level, with two separate campus stints at Wake Forest and Kentucky, respectively.
Sarr kicked off his road to the NBA by joining the Grizzlies' 2021 Summer League squad, after which he joined the Thunder's G-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue. He also saw some action with the Thunder's main roster, playing a total of 46 NBA games for that franchise.
Sarr's collective stats on the Thunder between 2021 and 2024 are as follows: 4.8 points on 56.0% field goal shooting, 37.2% from three, 76.5% from the free throw line, and 3.5 rebounds in an average of 13.8 minutes played per game.
He was part of the 2023-24 Oklahoma City Blue team to win the G-League championship; however, it was during Game 3 of those finals that Sarr suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury. Sarr would remain on the sidelines for the entire 2024-25 NBA regular season, as well as the G-League season; it’s safe to assume that he was rehabbing to playing strength after such a gutting setback.
Now, Sarr gets a shot with the Raptors to make his case felt through training camp and preseason. If he's unable to secure a main roster spot, at the very least, he can impress enough to warrant a shot with the Raptors 905 program (in line with the terms of an Exhibit 10 contract).