It may not be the signing that you’re all waiting for, but the Raptors have finally made a move during free agency. As first reported by Varlas Nikos, the Raptors have signed Matt Thomas from Valencia.
Breaking: Sources tell Eurohoops that Valencia guard Matt Thomas has agreed to a 3 year contract with the NBA defending champions Toronto Raptors. He will exercise his NBA opt-out clause with Valencia to join the Raptors
— Varlas Nikos (@nikosvarlas) July 1, 2019
Thomas is considered one of the best shooters not in the NBA. He’s 24 years old, though with limited upside and athleticism, he should be considered mostly a finished product coming into the NBA. At 6-foot-4, Thomas has average size at the guard position, though he does have a slim frame, listed at below 200 pounds.
Thomas went to Iowa State, where he averaged a modest 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game over all four years. He has some passing chops, though his true skill lies in his shooting. In two years in the Liga ACB, Thomas has shot 135-for-287 from deep, or 47 percent. He takes a lot of triples on the move, off the catch, on pull-ups, and in every other scenario. He absolutely knocks them down. Thomas is an elite shooter with a lightning-quick shot from multiple release points.
Synergy Sports reported that Thomas boasted an effective field goal percentage of 82 on catch-and-shoot jumpers and shot 99 percent while unguarded. That seems almost impossible to believe, but Synergy is about the most trustworthy stats site available. Thomas has fantastic footwork coming into shots, and he makes instant decisions. Thomas should fit into any lineup well, at least on the offensive end, where he could offer huge boosts as a decoy, cutter, screener, or even just standing still in the corner. Thomas’ defense is a little more up in the air, but the Raptors certainly have defenders who cover extra ground.
As far as contract, Shams is reporting that Thomas will earn $4.2M over three years. His contract is basically at the veteran minimum, monetarily, though a veteran minimum deal is limited to two years. Therefore Thomas’ deal will dip into the Raptors’ mid-level exception. However, because the Raptors were unlikely to use their entire mid-level exception due to luxury tax implications, the Thomas deal likely doesn’t affect the Raptors’ future plans, in terms of how much money they can offer free agents (outside, of course, of their own guys).
EuroLeague guard Matt Thomas has agreed to a three-year, $4.2M deal with the Toronto Raptors, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2019
All in all, Thomas is a nice add. Toronto likes to play deep in the regular season, and Nick Nurse has even shown a proclivity for giving depth pieces 90 odd seconds here and there in the playoffs. Thomas will probably fit in better on the offensive end than guys like Jodie Meeks or Patrick McCaw. I know this isn’t the guy that you want to be hearing about right now, but it’s still a nice piece of business.
