Look, this is almost certainly nothing. The Raptors’ brass was in L.A. to get the DeMar DeRozan deal done, and a great deal of players base their offseason out of that area. Basketball people know each other, and if they cross paths, they’ll talk to each other.
But because it’s July 1 and no rumor seems too random for people to discuss, here’s this: TMZ spotted Dwane Casey hanging with Meyers Leonard (at least, it kind of looks like Meyers Leonard?).
Leonard is a restricted free agent who seems likely to command an offer sheet outside of Toronto’s price range, which will max out at a starting salary of the $5.63-million mid-level exception unless they make a trade at some point (and the Blazers would then have the chance to match).
What’s more, the 24-year-old would appear to be a little superfluous as a fourth center, if you view him as such. But there’s far too much offseason left to assume the Raptors are already set at any position and no moves are coming, and he’d be the lone center on the roster capable of stretching the floor, having knocked down 38.5 percent of his career 3-point attempts. Even at 7-foot-1, though, Leonard is actually more of a power forward, playing roughly 85 percent of his minutes there last year, based on data from Nylon Calculus. He’s not an elite rebounder or defender at the five, but that changes a little if he can man the four instead (he was a slight-positive as a rim protector, again per NC, but ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus graded him as a below-average defender overall), which he did to strong effect alongside Ed Davis last season.
Again, there’s probably not much here beyond a photo. Leonard is almost surely going to be outside of Toronto’s price range and would be a tough defensive fit. Players in the MLE range are going to come with flaws or hang-ups,and Leonard at the MLE might be a discount, but this is just two basketball people having a conversation.
Nothing to Meyers Leonard/Raptors.
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) July 1, 2016
