Raptors 905 have waived Nick Wiggins, the team announced Saturday.
The 905 claimed Wiggins, the brother of budding Canadian superstar Andrew Wiggins, on the eve of the season. The 24-year-old Wichita State product (with stops at Wabash Valley and Vincennes) performed well enough in 28 D-League games last year but was playing sparingly in a loaded 905 wing rotation. He appeared in 10 games this season, averaging 4.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 10.1 minutes while shooting 32.7 percent overall and 25 percent on threes.
Wiggins also spent time in Germany last season and could conceivably head back overseas if he goes unclaimed in the D-League player pool, though it’s a bit late in the season to grab any decent overseas opportunities. The shooting guard appeared in three summer league tournaments over the past two summers and got into four preseason games with the Minnesota Timberwolves this year, scoring seven points in 13 total minutes.
They also announced that center Walter Pitchford has retired.
The 23-year-old Grand Rapids native has spent most of the season on the inactive list after landing with the 905 as an open tryout success story. Pitchford played in just five games for the 905, averaging 2.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 14.2 minutes. The 6-foot-10 would-be floor-spacer spent a year at Florida and two at Nebraska before turning pro, averaging seven points and four rebounds while shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 34.3 percent on threes over those three seasons.
Retirement at such an early age is surprising, especially since there’s no underlying injury – he missed four games with an ankle sprain earlier in the year but was active recently, just not used.
The 905 now have two open roster spots separate of any Toronto Raptors assignees. That is, they’d have those two spots open even once the Raptors re-assign Bruno Caboclo and whoever else. It will be interesting to see who they make a claim on in the coming days or if any new players enter the D-League pool (Tony Wroten?).
