500MB of data might not be enough | T-1 day before free agency | Happy Saturday
Magic Johnson says he will help the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency in any way he can, but he is not permitted by NBA rules to be part of official team meetings with prospective free agents. Johnson said he has not been asked by the Lakers or owner Jeanie Buss to participate.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2019
Johnson says “A friend of mine called and says Kawhi wants to meet with you,” Johnson told ESPN. “I said no problem. I’m available if that’s what this man wants.
“But I got a great life. I’m not trying to mess with anybody’s job.”
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2019
Because the league has specifically told Lakers and Magic that he can’t be a formal part if the free agency process, the Lakers have made no attempt to engage Johnson formally, according to league sources.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2019
According to my guy @stephenasmith … Kawhi made a personal request to the Lakers that their free-agent meeting include only owner Jeanie Buss and their former team president Magic Johnson pic.twitter.com/E4ZQX3Rntr
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 28, 2019
Early reports indicate that the Toronto Raptors have offered free agent Kawhi Leonard 500 MB on his Canadian cell phone plan if he signs with the team for another season.
“We’re willing to give Kawhi a solid gold house, five GulfStream jets along with 20 Harvard educated butlers, and a generous 500 MB of data on his phone,” said Raptors President Masai Ujiri.
The Raptors said they were open to many concessions to make a deal with the star including a two year contract where Drake would be paid to personally carry Leonard between games, but have yet to offer a more expensive 2 GB plan.
Summer League: Who and what you need to know about the Vegas Raptors – The Athletic
The Raptors have built a roster that’s heavy on guards who can shoot and longer-term centre prospects. That makes sense given what their roster currently looks like and projects as for the next few years, as well as what’s worked best in the G League in recent years. The lack of true wings stands out a bit, so the Vegas Raptors could be playing quite big or quite small or, ironically, both at the same time a lot, and Goodwillie will get to play with some funkier lineups over the course of the tournament. As always, these games are worth watching because a couple of these players could wind up in training camp, with Raptors 905 or even on the NBA roster.
Q&A: Danny Green on free-agency decision, the Raptors’ title and more – Hoops Hype
What are the top factors you will consider as you make your decision in free agency?
DG: For me, my biggest thing, my biggest mantra, is winning. I want to be in a situation where I can play, be effective and win. I want to be in an organization that is a contender, so I’m looking at a lot of places that have a really good foundation.
If Toronto brings everyone back, I think we have a really good shot of coming out of the East again. So why would I not want to be there? But things change and things move. [If the Raptors can’t bring everyone back], there are going to be other teams who are in the running and I want to see what those situations are. Obviously, I want to maximize on the dollar, but I also want to maximize on the situation. I know I’m not an All-Star or star player, but I want to be remembered as a great role player who won a lot of games and leave my mark in the league.
Masai Ujiri: Toronto Raptor’s president sees promise in Africa – CNN
Like Ujiri, Siakam didn’t discover basketball until his teens. And Ujiri says there continues to be missed opportunities to discover and develop talent on the continent.
“We lack the facilities in Africa, so it doesn’t give the kids a chance. Look at just the physical abilities of Africans, how tall they are,” Ujiri said.
“You think of the tribes, the different places and how many seven footers are walking around, but these guys have gone through their whole life without playing the game. I say that there is talent in Africa walking everywhere. It’s a gold mine,” he adds.
In 2003, Ujiri founded his non-profit, Giants of Africa to further mine this talent.
But it’s more than just finding players for Ujiri; it’s about inspiring young Africans that they too can aspire to excel in basketball, in a continent that’s primarily dominated by football.
“I need more people to see that it can be done, whether it’s coaching, whether it’s scouting, whether it’s playing. Whatever it is, people can see that yes, it can be done by an African. It’s something that I really take pride in,” Ujiri says.
The NBA seems to agree with Ujiri’s assessment of Africa. Earlier this year it announced it would be launching The Basketball Africa League, the first league the NBA will be operating outside of North America.
Ujrii sees this as just the beginning.
“With this league, the opportunities for the players, their clubs, and their countries will just continue to grow, and I’m really proud the NBA is leading the way,” he says.
Run It Back Odds: What are the chances the Toronto Raptors will be the same next year? – Raptors HQ
So, if you’re doing the math at home, this means the Raptors are likely to be down at least three or four names from this past season. The end of bench hopefuls are likely all set to move on, and one or two of the team’s rotation players could be out the door.
That is both a bummer — we love our defending champion Raptors! — and also something exciting. It means Toronto is set to welcome some new faces, which is a useful thing to do when you’re trying to reload to, yes, defend the 2019 NBA title. Hoo boy, it is impossible to get tired of saying that.
Champion Raptors are in a good place to wait for Kawhi Leonard call | The Star
Outside of unrestricted free-agent Danny Green, who presents his own unique set of circumstances, every significant player on the roster is under contract for at least one more season. Ujiri may want to run it back with a core of Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, OG Anunoby and Norm Powell, still a formidable roster in the Eastern Conference.
Lowry, VanVleet, Gasol and Ibaka each have just one more guaranteed season left on their contracts — usually an extra impetus for players to perform at their peak — and Ujiri might feel comfortable letting them try to recapture last season’s championship form. But he might also want to move a couple of those expiring contracts for younger players on longer-term deals, either this summer or into next season, to hasten a roster overhaul.
If he did that, of course, he would be sacrificing some future financial flexibility that would come in handy on the free-agent market a year from now, when a handful of superstar players — Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo most notably — might be available.
The risk is letting highly-paid players walk and getting nothing in return, and then not being able to convince younger stars to take the cap space and come to Toronto.
Green is the other interesting issue in all of Ujiri’s musings. The veteran forward, who had a great regular season and a spotty playoff run, is likely to get some interest on the open market and teams might make offers that the Raptors aren’t interested in competing with.
It’s hard to imagine Toronto bringing Green back if Leonard leaves. Even if Leonard does return, would the Raptors be willing to go to a three-year deal for Green, who is likely to attract at least that from other suitors?
Looking back at the best free-agent signings in Raptors history – Sportsnet.ca
Anthony Parker
Signed: 2006A former first-round pick, Parker spent three unremarkable seasons in the NBA between 1997-’00 before taking his talents to Israel. There, he became one of the EuroLeague’s brightest stars, a two-time champ with Maccabi Tel-Aviv and a two-time EuroLeague MVP.
Maybe it was his knockout punch in an exhibition against the Raptors that drew the attention of then-GM Rob Babcock:
At the age of 31, he brought this impressive resume back to the NBA with him when the Raptors signed him in 2006, and he immediately assumed a starting role in Toronto’s backcourt.
Parker was a double-digit scorer for each of his three seasons with the Raptors, reaching the post-season twice and establishing himself as the team’s second-leading scorer behind Chris Bosh.
6 reasons Raptors should blow up roster if Kawhi Leonard leaves – Sportsnet.ca
5. Clean books in 2020
That doesn’t mean you have to tear it all down to the studs.
With Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka and Fred VanVleet expiring, the Raptors could have $90 million coming off the books in the summer of 2020.
Most of the team’s players will have their contracts expire by the summer of 2020, except for Norman Powell (2022) and OG Anunoby (2021) and even Anunoby’s deal in the fourth year is a team option. The 25-year-old Pascal Siakam can become a restricted free agent in 2020 and is a steal now at $2.3 million. VanVleet is owed $8.65 million next season in the last year of his contract and will likely be offered an extension too.
The house Ujiri built has great foundation and a window to win again even without Leonard in the not too distant future because of the young core they’ll be able to sell to the 2020 and 2021 free agent classes.
Send me any Raptors-related content I missed: rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
