First, the ‘Board Man’ departed. Now, the ‘Random Guy in a Suit’ has followed. The Toronto Raptors have reportedly waived two-way player Jordan Loyd, according to Blake Murphy of The Athletic.
The Raptors have waived Jordan Loyd. The team is framing it as a mutual parting of ways, which makes sense – Loyd was about to enter year two of a 2-way contract, and this allows him to seek other opportunities.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) August 2, 2019
Loyd made a great impression in his sole year with the Raptors as a two-way player, earning All-G League honours and being in contention to take home the MVP trophy before narrowly losing out to teammate Chris Boucher. Loyd finished the season averaging 22.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and six assists per game for the Raptors 905. The guard also played 12 games for the full team, but was inactive for the entirety of the playoffs.
Loyd and the Raptors splitting up made sense for both parties. As I wrote about during Summer League when talking with Loyd, his progression made him far too valuable for the two-way contract that he was on. Loyd’s performances in the G League demonstrated that he was a step above that level of competition, however the Raptors had the leverage to keep Loyd on a two-way deal. As Toronto filled up their training camp roster, it made little sense for them to sacrifice a roster spot by converting Loyd’s contract into a full NBA deal if he wasn’t in the plans for their NBA rotation. Toronto could have kept Loyd on his current deal, however it would have definitely caused frustration for a player who has been a positive influence with both the 905 and Raptors team.
The parting of ways allowed Loyd to seek out a far more lucrative contract overseas. Immediately after the Raptor news, a report from Emiliano Carchia of Sportando indicated that Loyd had signed a deal with Valencia in Liga ACB, arguably the second best league in the world.
Jordan Loyd has reached an agreement with Valencia Basket, a source told @Sportando and @Chemadelucas.
Loyd has played 12 games with Raptors last season— Emiliano Carchia (@Carchia) August 2, 2019
In the wake of Loyd’s departure, the Raptors have now re-opened an additional spot for their training camp roster. The team now also has both two-way spots available to use.
