[Hollinger] There were hidden costs once Trent opted in. A max for FVV would have cost them their full MLE as an over-apron team.. and likely would have cost them in draft capital to reduce the tax hit to a more reasonable number. A Boucher salary dump, wouldn’t have been cheap.
by EarthWarping
21 Comments
>This probably should have been affordable for Toronto and probably should have been something the Raptors planned for going back to last season given the number of cap room teams that needed point guard help.
>I’m wondering if one wrinkle really wrong-footed them: Gary Trent Jr. opting in to his deal for $19 million. By doing so, he made matching a max offer on VanVleet a tax question; doing so would have put the Raptors $10 million over before they used a cent of their midlevel exception (that number presumes the Raptors had waived Thaddeus Young and not signed Schröder to replace VanVleet); filling out the roster would have pushed that number even higher.
>A more interesting question is whether the Raptors can now shift their roster to something more workable than a bunch of below-average-shooting 6-foot-9 guys going one-on-one. The VanVleet deal may look a lot better in 20-20 hindsight if Toronto can parlay Pascal Siakam or O.G. Anunoby into a good guard who can shoot. It just remains to be seen who that player is and what kind of deal is doable; I’m not breaking any news here, but exasperation with the Raptors in trade talks remains a theme when talking to other front offices.
Might have been the greatest contribution that Trent has had to this team.
For the record, I loved FVV but both parties needed to move on.
All this for a play in team
It was definitely awkward having a tax team playing at a mid level.
Honestly, thank you GTJ.
maxing FVV is a fireable offense
Maybe the rumours that the younger guys and Fred didn’t get along are true. If this was GTJ playing 4d chess, well damn, checkmate.
I don’t think there is any question that Trent opting in threw an unexpected wrench in our plans
Yeah idk because the Gary extension rumors started right after he opted in and Raptors still offered Fred a multi year contract. I know talks have slowed down on that front now. But they always felt like two independent negotiations.
I know Masai broke a table when that bum Gary opted in.
Framing Boucher’s contract as a salary dump seems weird – he makes $11 million this year and next and would be useful as a bench piece for a lot of teams. Sure you probably don’t get a great return for him, but it’s not like the Raptors have to send picks to get someone to take Boucher imo
Freddy and Gary also share the same agency. OG and Nurse were also a part of that agency as well(Nurse still is).
Meanwhile every Masai defender and their mother was saying we couldve brought back all our FAs e z p z.
Build Gary a statue right now
Boucher is cool but I’ll be happy when he’s not a raptor. He’s frustrating to watch and highly inconsistent.
Hollinger comes off overly critical of the Raptors here, and I am trying not to view it as a fan, but it seems a bit rash and unnecessary.
Schroder obviously isn’t going to replace someone like FVV, but he’s a solid addition nonetheless. Fred took the money. The Raptors tried, he went elsewhere. Framing them as losers just seems a bit silly.
*”Even with all that, I’m still a bit amazed Toronto didn’t just swallow hard and agree to pay VanVleet.”*
Like, what? They made an offer. He declined it.
lol fred is really gone. can’t believe it i’m so happy as a fan
Gary in with the steal, active hands active body..
This man saved us.
They were never going to match max for Fred lol. Why does Hollinger keep blaming GTJ
He’s trying to say Boucher is a salary dump? He’s a good valuable bench piece on a very moveable contract. Also, the raps plan all along was to bring back all 3 guys. They’d rather not have the MLE than let GTJ walk