Raptors 905 have acquired E.J. Singler from the Idaho Stampede for a 2016 second-round pick. The deal is still contingent on Singler passing a physical.
The 905 have been woefully thin on bodies this week, for good and bad reasons.Ronald Roberts is injured and may still be a week away in his recovery, DeAndre Daniels had hoped to be back by now and has progressed to full practices but won’t play until at least next week, and Greg Smith and Axel Toupane both landed 10-day contracts in the NBA. That left the 905 with eight players ahead of Thursday’s game, necessitating the Toronto Raptors to assign three bodies to help out in a narrow loss.
The 905 don’t get compensation for Smith and Toupane getting called up – they’d receive a top waiver priority if either lasted 21 days in the NBA – and so they’re development is a bit of a Pyrrhic victory. Not only does it see those players gone from the organization, but the team’s expended a second-round pick to acquire a replacement.
That’s fine with head coach Jesse Mermuys, who (correctly) sees the positive as far outweighing the negative. Graduating players to the NBA is a really big deal for a D-League team, and it’s a clear sign that the process in Mississauga is working. That’s important for attracting potential players and offseason prospects, while showing agents it’s a good situation for their clients. And if the NBA expands team control over prospects in the next CBA, the Raptors will have established a working development program.
“It’s only gonna get better,” Mermuys said Thursday. “Already, as an organization, we’re pretty pleased with the things that have gone on, and it’s our job to push and get even more out of it. To me, that’s really exciting. ”
The 905 are going to have to do a good job developing pieces again next offseason, because the trade for Singler leaves them a little thin at the draft table in 2016.
- 1st: None
- 2nd: Grand Rapids
- 3rd: Santa Cruz
- 4th: Own, Bakersield
- 5th: Own
In Singler, the 905 fill a serious need on the wing. The 25-year-old small forward also brings a great deal of shooting, as a 2014 D-League 3-Point Shootout champion. Undrafted out of Orgeon in 2013, Singler appeared in summer league with Detroit and the preseason with Portland before landing in Idaho for the year. Last season, he played in Estonia, opting to return to the D-League again for 2015-16. In 58 career D-League games, Singler’s averaging 9.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while knocking down 42.6 percent of his threes.
With just a 6-foot-7 wingspan, the former All-Pac-12 forward is only a decent defender and probably won’t be trusted to switch as freely as the 905 like on that end. Still, he’s a warm body and a capable spot-up threat, one hitting 40.9 percent of his threes that come above the break. He’s been uncharacteristically shaky from the corners, and it stands to reason that the 905 will feed him ample looks to get going in that area.
He also has a man-bun, so maybe the team opts to freeze him out altogether.
The 905 roster for Saturday’s 2 p.m. tip against Maine will look something like this, assuming the Raptors lend a few bodies once again:
PG: Shannon Scott, John Jordan, Ashton Smith
SG: Norman Powell, Scott Suggs
SF: Bruno Caboclo, E.J. Singler, Melvin Johnson III, (DeAndre Daniels)
PF: Lucas Nogueira, Michale Kyser, (Ronald Roberts)
C: Sim Bhullar, Keanau Post
