The Toronto Raptors just signed scoring guard A.J. Lawson to a two-way contract. Their path to getting there, however, was a risky one -- and they could easily have lost him to another team.
The news that A.J. Lawson was being waived was a surprising one to many fans of the Toronto Raptors. After his performance last season and a strong preseason, he seemed like a strong candidate to be retained on the contract that he signed last season.
Lawson made his way to Toronto by a circuitous route. The Canadian native attended South Carolina before going undrafted in 2021. After a year in the G League, the Minnesota Timberwolves scooped him up onto a two-way contract and he made his NBA debut. A few months later, he was waived and joined the Dallas Mavericks, ultimately hitting free agency once more last fall.
That's where Toronto stepped in, signing him to a two-way contract in December of last season. The 6'6" shooting guard worked his way into the rotation in the midst of a myriad of player absences, from injuries to tanking priorities. He showed off his toughness as a defender and rebounder and was a confident scorer, even if his efficiency was below the ideal mark. He impressed the team enough that they signed him to a two-way contract to ensure they maintained his rights through the summer.
Raptors had to make a decision on Lawson
The Raptors went through the preseason with 13 guaranteed contracts on the roster; they can go up to 15 total players and then three two-way contracts. It seemed very possible that they would retain Lawson in the backcourt as one of those final two slots. Knowing that the team also waived project center Ulrich Chomche should have made it even more likely that he was kept on the roster.
Yet they also waived Lawson, retaining 3-and-D wing Jamison Battle for the 14th roster spot and leaving their 15th spot open. It appeared at first that the Raptors were moving on from Lawson altogether.
Instead, they were taking a transactional risk. Lawson is still eligible for a two-way contract this season, but because he was on a standard contract, Toronto couldn't convert him into a two-way deal. Instead, they had to waive him and hope that no other team claimed him.
It was a reasonable risk, especially in a low-level situation like this. Another team may have been interested in Lawson, but (1) most likely the Raptors would be the highest of any team given their previous interest and his Canadian ties, and (2) claiming Lawson would have strained the relationship between that franchise and either the Raptors or Lawson's agent, depending on how much he wanted to stay in Toronto.
Those are not prohibitive hurdles, and another team could very well have decided to take a flier on Lawson, but the Raptors felt good about the risk. They were rewarded for their gamble, and Lawson made it through waivers and will be on a two-way contract for the season.
Toronto is deep at guard, but they also haven't been taking the world by storm because of their backcourt either. Lawson has a chance to figure for the Raptors this season -- and the local kid will be sticking around to make the most of that opportunity.