It’s hard to identify free agents worth signing at this stage of the NBA summer.
The majority of players deserving of NBA contracts with guarantees have already been selected and signed weeks ago. While there are a few players in limbo (Isaac Okoro sticks out as one who is playing chicken as a restricted free agent), teams with an open roster position often don’t have a lot of options.
That’s why the news on Friday is so fascinating. Matt Ryan, a forward, was waived by the New Orleans Pelicans before to the expiration of his contract, putting him on waivers and perhaps opening up a trade window.
Matt Ryan, who is he?
Not to be confused with the MVP-winning NFL quarterback, Matt Ryan was a journeyman college basketball player who spent his last year at Chattanooga before eventually joining the NBA draft pool. He was not selected in the 2020 NBA Draft and spent his time in the G League playing for the Celtics, Timberwolves, Lakers, and other teams.
He made his NBA debut at the beginning of the previous campaign when the Pelicans plucked him off of waivers and signed him to a two-way contract, starting him off as their three-point shooter. Ryan made 8.4 attempts per 36 minutes, or 80.5 percent of his total shots, at long range, shooting 45.1 percent.
Because to his shot diet, he had an exceptional true shooting percentage of 63.8 percent, ranking seventh among non-bigs and in the Top 40 in the league. In a league where shooting is more important than ever, he is a pure shooting specialist.
Why had they, the Pelicans, waived him? They didn’t cut him to sign a player who was obviously superior to him for basketball-related reasons. There are currently 14 contracts that are guaranteed, and there has been no news on whether they plan to sign someone to replace him.
The Pelicans waived him for entirely financial reasons. No matter how competitive a club is, the Pelicans as a group are utterly unwilling to pay the luxury tax on any squad. An NBA franchise is ultimately a business, and the Pelicans’ owners want to maximize that firm’s profits at all costs by never going over that boundary. For the team, it serves as a de facto hard cap.
Matt Ryan’s $2.2 million deal was guaranteed on the opening day of the season, but the Pelicans are a couple million over the luxury tax threshold. First and foremost, New Orleans wants to avoid the luxury tax; developing the greatest roster comes second. That implied Ryan had to leave.
How will this help the Raptors?
Now that Ryan is eligible to be claimed by NBA teams under his current deal, he is hitting waivers. In the event that more than one team files a claim, the team with the highest “priority” will get his contract. The contracts are granted in the offseason according on reverse standings from the previous year.
The Raptors have a great chance of acquiring him if they so choose because only a few clubs are ahead of them in the waiver priority.
Must they make a decision? This summer, the Raptors needed to increase their shooting, and although they have done so in a few places, they could definitely use more. Furthermore, despite just being 6’6″, Ryan plays larger than his height, which is why he spent 70% of the previous season playing forward. He might be able to enter the game off the bench, either beside or behind RJ Barrett.
If not an excellent shooter, Gradey Dick fits the description of a plus shooter. Immanuel Quickley has a great shooting stroke. Kelly Olynyk is a great asset to his role. However, Ryan is asleep from deep, and deadeye shooters don’t grow on trees. Given the development of their youthful bunch of wings and guards this season, he might be useful.
It would come at almost no expense. They can also always waive him or include him in a deal if something changes between now and the start of the regular season in two months. He might be open to returning on a two-way contract if they waive him.
Ryan’s claim would be a ridiculously cheap gamble on a player who could truly benefit them, made feasible by the Pelicans cutting corners. These astute, calculated plays are what enable franchises to assemble a squad that fans will want to support.
Leave a Reply