Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri confirmed Tuesday that the team has signed free agent power forward Jason Thompson, waiving Anthony Bennett to clear a roster spot in the process.
Jason Thompson in the house pic.twitter.com/7BfTcZwUyd
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) March 1, 2016
“He liked out situation and chose our situation,” Ujiri said from the BioSteel Centre, suggesting Thompson had other suitors. “We just hope he helps us win more ball games down the stretch.”
“Unfortunately we had to make the decision to waive Anthony Bennett.” – Masai Ujiri. pic.twitter.com/ZMOq9HqLpq
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 1, 2016
The move was first reported by Shams Charania of The Vertical on Monday. Thompson was waived by the Golden State Warriors in order to make room for Anderson Varejao, clearing waivers in time to be playoff eligible for the Raptors.
Jason Thompson got rave reviews from former teammates James Johnson and Patrick Patterson + Kyle Lowry, who knows him from Philly area.
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) March 1, 2016
I wrote about why the Raptors should take a run at Thompson last week, and everything within still holds. I recommend reading it to catch up on what Thompson can bring to the table.
Masai on Thompson: “He’s going to play a role on our team. I don’t think it’s as big a role as he’s played in the past”
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) March 1, 2016
I wrote about the report yesterday, too, though that piece focused more on cutting bait on the Bennett experiment.
Assuming he clears waivers, Bennett will be free to sign with any NBA team, though he won’t be playoff eligible unless the Raptors kept his waiver quiet. Not that a playoff-bound team would have much interest, as the only teams who seem likely to kick the tires – Phoenix and Philadelphia, primarily – will be those who can give him the requisite playing time to continue his development.
“Anthony is at that point where he needed to play,” Ujiri said, taking some of the responsibility for the experiment’s failure, as he did not expect the team to win quite so much out of the gate or for Luis Scola to play as well early, per Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
It will be interesting to see where he lands and how he looks with extended run. He was unimpressive in NBA and D-League action but at least looked to be in the best shape of his career, and he’s still just 22.
"He's a great young man. I enjoyed working with Anthony." – Casey pic.twitter.com/ZxvbtDWg6Y
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 1, 2016
From the Raptors perspective, though, the focus can now safely shift to Thompson, who brings depth, rebounding, and solid, if unspectacular defense to the bench.
