Title: Raptors free agent targets: All the possible fits, and risks, at guard
Date: October 15, 2020
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote about potential backcourt targets for the Raptors in free agency.
So, about Fred VanVleet’s free agency. He, uh, has some leverage on the market. The landscape for guards is pretty thin this offseason, with a handful of potential bargain reserves and very few players capable of stepping into large starting roles.
Retaining VanVleet is the Raptors’ top priority this offseason. And with Kyle Lowry still under contract, it feels like a less important position to examine in free agency. But VanVleet returning is not a certainty, and while the draft has some intriguing guard prospects that could be around late in the first round, a VanVleet departure could leave a lot of minutes up for grabs, enough for an additional body in the backcourt.
Even if VanVleet returns, the Raptors spent all of last season with just two point guards on the roster. They probably don’t want to do that again. We’ve estimated there will be about four roster spots open after holdovers and the draft, and finding a young guard to try to develop into the next second-unit operator would be prudent.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 