The player in the NBA with the best outfit is still in Toronto.
With their lone free-agency acquisition, the Toronto Raptors secured the last roster spot* by signing Garrett Temple to a one-year, $3.3 million contract. The fourteen-year veteran will still lead by example in the locker room and serve as a mentor to the younger players.
If Jonathan Mogbo and Jamal Shead sign contracts, Temple would occupy the fifteenth position on Toronto’s roster.
The Raptors are loaded with young guys!
Of all the Raptors, Temple is the only one who is older than thirty. The majority of the players that make up Toronto’s core, including Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, and Ja’Kobe Walter, are in the 21–25 age range. It will be expected of everyone of those players to take on roles they have never had to. Toronto’s young players will be far more likely to be on the right track if there is an experienced player like Temple in the locker room.
Temple has always been a Raptor, regardless of the fact that he was an unrestricted free agent. He stayed with the group as they evaluated potential draft picks.
When it comes to free agency, certain transactions (like Scottie Barnes receiving a max extension) seem inevitable, while others (like Bruce Brown exercising his team option) have hidden agendas. Temple’s decision to resign has a clear advantage, particularly in light of the impending draft class, but it might also signal something else. Given the wealth of elite talent in the 2025 draft, many will be pushing for a tank if the Raptors have a dismal start to the upcoming season. It doesn’t hurt to have your draft pick as well!
Toronto had the option of using a more traditional backup point guard (sorry, Davion Mitchell) or a backup center (sorry, Kelly Olynyk) to occupy the last roster place. The Raptors, however, decided to start a 38-year-old player who has only started 40% of his career’s games. Insert thought-provoking Brian Windhorst meme.
What if Temple is being signed with a hidden agenda to make sure Toronto has better lottery odds, not bolster the squad, and maybe get Cooper Flagg to wear a Raptors uniform next season? It’s fool’s gold to compete for a position in the play-in tournament with Boston seemingly untouchable, Philadelphia possessing the newest and best Big 3, and New York building a formidable force.
A lengthy season lies ahead for the Raptors. The best chance of preventing the ship from capsizing is to have an experienced somebody like Temple on board.
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