The Toronto Raptors are still unsure about whether they want to compete for a championship next season.
It appears from the broad strokes that they are not collapsing. Instead of putting draft capital first, they traded OG Anunoby for two players who will both have large salaries this year. From now on, their financial status will reflect that of a winning team rather than one that is striving to rebuild. They managed to hold onto Bruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl as well as Kelly Olynyk.
However, they haven’t put in the effort to trade for another star to join Scottie Barnes and company, nor have they tried to optimize their cap space this summer to add another important player. They managed to pull off a mid-draft transaction to take on money while keeping their draft picks and adding at least three youngsters they plan to roster.
Maybe the Raptors are simply attempting to find a middle ground between not going all in and not entirely falling apart, or maybe there are still huge moves to come. The Raptors have been incredibly silent, so if you’re seeking for clarity from their work in free agency, you won’t find it.
The Toronto Raptors have only signed veteran guard Garrett Temple to a one-year contract, if you exclude re-signing Immanuel Quickley, who was a restricted free agent and reached an agreement prior to the start of free agency.
Garrett Temple has rejoined the group.
Prior to being selected undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft, Temple attended LSU. Since then, he has been all over the league, playing for twelve different teams. He never averaged more points per game than 10.3 with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019–20, a squad beset by injuries.
Amazingly, Temple is set to embark on his 15th season in the league, despite never having been a star or anything near it. Taj Gibson, who turned 38 in May, is currently the sixth-oldest player in the NBA; if he doesn’t sign with a new team, he will move up to fifth. While Kyle Lowry, the former player for the Raptors, is six weeks younger than Temple, Jeff Green is around one month older.
The intriguing aspect of Temple’s contract with the Raptors is that he probably won’t play on the court until extremely rare situations arise. The Raptors signed guys off the street and started them in the starting lineup last season, despite having a roster that was almost entirely injured. Temple barely played 289 minutes in 27 appearances even at that point.
In the backcourt, the Raptors have only grown more proficient. Bruce Brown, Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick, and Quickley are all back. After trading for Davion Mitchell, they selected Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter in the draft. It would take a while for Temple to be called up in the pecking order. He might get a few minutes of garbage time run, but there’s very no chance he’ll play in a game that matters.
So why bring him back? Temple is expected to take on a job that some have gleefully dubbed the “OG,” or as league insiders refer to them, the “veteran mentor.” A player coach in the locker room and a player whose years of NBA experience made him a useful resource to the rest of the locker room, Udonis Haslem remained with the Miami Heat for five years after his ability to play important minutes ended.
It’s useful to learn from a coach, but it’s much more useful to learn from the man in the locker next to you. Temple can assist in bringing along a youthful core of guards and offers a dependable and knowledgeable voice from the player side of the squad. He has played with many celebrities, witnessed a great deal, and is a source of knowledge and insight.
This season, Garrett Temple is unlikely to play much if at all. His influence on the club will be seen in how mature the roster is and how they advance as men and NBA players rather than in box scores. Although it will be challenging to monitor, the Raptors believe it is significant enough to warrant a roster place.
Garrett Temple, welcome back.
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