Efforts by other clubs to convince the Raptors to sell low on OG Anunoby for a lottery pick turned out to be a lot of wasted breath. And likely now in free agency, the expectation is there will be tweaks, but no wholesale changes.
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Which brings us to players the Raptors might be looking to acquire. Toronto has multiple needs for its roster – size and rim protection, additional three-point shooting and secondary play-making chief among them.
It will be hard to address more than one of them using the MLE or the BAL. The most likely scenario? The Raptors take advantage of what is a buyer’s market for big men to hold the fort while second-round pick Christian Koloko develops at his own pace.
The market is such that the Raptors might even be able to secure a quality player without using the full MLE. The exceptions to that – the Milwaukee Bucks' Bobby Portis, Portland’s Jusef Nurkic, Golden State Warriors' Kevon Looney and the Knicks' Mitchell Robinson – are all expected to re-sign with their existing teams.
Two players to watch?
The Los Angeles Clippers won’t likely be able to keep Isaiah Hartenstein after agreeing to use their tax payer mid-level on John Wall and signing Ivica Zubac to a three-year, $33-million extension.
Hartenstein is a 24-year-old former second-round pick who had a breakout season off the bench for the Clippers. On a per 36 minutes basis he averaged 16.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.3 blocks while shooting 62.6 per cent from the floor.
Even more noteworthy from the Raptors point of view? The 7-footer led the NBA in defensive field goal percentage allowed at the rim with a mark of 47.5, out-pacing some of the league’s most recognized defenders: Rudy Gobert (49.3), Jaren Jackson Jr. (49.3) and Jarrett Allen (50.9). Given his age, his playmaking skill – his assist-to-turnover ratio is routinely 2:1 – and his ability to defend the paint, you can see the Raptors making a serious run at the fifth-year big.
Another option the Raptors will be considering is Washington Wizards big man Thomas Bryant, who has been off-the-radar somewhat after missing nearly a full year with a torn ACL suffered early in the 2020-21 season. But consider that in the bubble in 2019-20 he averaged 18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.4 steals and blocks combined while shooting 40.5 per cent from three and 53.2 per cent from the floor. In the first nine games of 2020-21 – prior to his injury – Bryant picked up where he left off, averaging 15.9 points and 6.8 rebounds, and shooting 42.9 per cent from three.
His production fell off in the 27 games he did play this past season, which is hardly surprising given he was out for a calendar year. He may not be the rim presence that Hartenstein represents but has shown he can spread the floor well for a big, which has its own benefits. He is a former college teammate of Anunoby’s at Indiana, and shares an agent with Pascal Siakam, which is also worth noting.
Given his injury history, Bryant would seem a more affordable option – some projections have him worthy of just the veteran minimum, which seems light, but reflects him missing most of two seasons. The Raptors should have good intel on him and could likely find a deal that works well for both sides and uses only some of their MLE, giving them an option to see if there is another need they can fill with the rest.