KrazyP wrote:Clutch0z24 wrote:S.W.A.N wrote:
exactly.
Ayton and Rudy are not what this team needs.
Give me a bargain big man.
A Mo Bamba, a Hartenstien, a Jalen Smith all are in that mid level price range.
A Koloko, a Kamagate, even a Mobley... All possibly available at 33 or undrafted (Mobley, Robinson, Diabate) etc.
A value cost big man that protects rim and won't die on every switch.
Spending big money on a 5 that isn't a superstar is bad cap management.
Here is the problem with your Theory though about bringing in a "Bamba" "Hartenstein" "Smith" type of player and drafting a big man....We could be wanting to do all them things your suggesting but Masai been trying to do that for years now since Gasol/Ibaka left the team and we end up with Baynes/Birch type of guys....Players in free agency do not sign with the Raptors ...As much as it sucks the history is there to see....
We would love to get Bamba/Hartenstein/Smith but we will try to sign one of them for them to end up on an American team (Cause thats where they feel comfortable in living) Its just a real obstacle we have to deal with....We will try hard to sign these guys and watch them all go to other teams around the league while we end up with the bottom of the barrel C's who will make 0 impact at all for us and then we are stuck with nothing....
Drafting a big at 33 to expect them to come into the League and be difference makers is a big big ask as well .....More chance if we draft a big at 33 he plays his year in 905 then he would with the team....
So then your left with a big hole at C again next year with the same question over and over....This team needs a C who can rim protect blah blah same cycle over and over...
So yeah at the end of the day the only way Raptors have a chance to get an impactfull C is in a trade imo....Its most likely scenario for us to actually get a C who could help us...And sadly you gotta give up something to get something in the NBA Unless your the Lakers.
Over the course of 27 years, the Raptors have traditionally have had a hard time landing free agents. But we're in a new era. The franchise has recently won a championship and have one of the best development environments in the business. We dont need to carry the loser, "we cant get anybody good", mentality going forward. The Raps are actually a mid-tier or better market in terms of being a desirable destination now.
We didnt bring in a free agent C in 2020 when Ibaka/Gasol left but how many youngish free agent Cs were actually on the market in 2020 and 2021 that the Raps missed out on?
The 2022 free agent C class has a lot of interesting options that might be in the MLE level or lower. On top of this, Gorbert and Ayton are both available which is going to add a lot of noise and clutter the supply, demand dynamics. Furthermore, there arent many teams with cap space to throw around to bid beyond MLE territory. It will be an interesting offseason......I'm confident the Raps will be able to attract a rotation level player via free agency if they choose to do so.
This is a fair point. In 2020, we also were only looking for free agents who would sign a one year deal, with the hopes of us landing Giannis the next summer. We waited out the market trying to get Serge (and Marc), and after we lost out on both of them, I'd actually argue that Baynes/Len were the best (or two of the best) guys remaining. Baynes was coming off of a career year, and I thought it was a solid pick-up (I was wrong).
We've had plenty of disappointment as a free agency destination, but I don't really think that 2020 counts. That was a case of waiting out the market, and not really having a long term contract as an option.
That said, I have my doubts about landing a good free agent this year for the MLE. Assuming we don't make any big moves, the top six spots in the rotation (our starters plus Precious) are pretty set in stone. Any free agent coming here may be fighting for the 7th/8th/9th spot on the rotation with Banton/Birch/Boucher/Thad/Flynn. There's a legit chance that whoever we sign doesn't even crack the rotation, so it's not like we have guaranteed minutes for any free agent.
My guess, is that like in other years, we go after a couple undrafted free agent then wait out free agency until all the big contracts have been signed, and see what is available in the bargain bins. The bargain bins haven't usually worked out great for us - guys like Sullinger, Johnson, RHJ, Len, Monroe, come to mind, but it's a lot lower risk than paying mid level guys on multi-year deals. As with most offseason, we'll probably hit on a couple low-cost guys who turn into legit players over the next couple seasons, and someone from last season like Banton, Brooks, Champagnie, or Svi end up popping.
