Team Transactions Update | Raptors Today

Team Transactions Update | Raptors Today

Welcome back inside Raptors today coming to you from the belly of the Beast that is the Scotia Bank Arena Sher Hamilton Eric Smith aille Augustine and unlike Seasons past there have been a lot of moves happening with this Raptor Squad in season one of the moves that I guess

Kind of surprising kind of not maybe depending on where you stand was the Toronto Raptors released Maris Noel um two-way player everyone knows him it’s Mr March Madness Mr New York City had a hell of a run last year in March Madness but couldn’t stay healthy with the 905

And the big club and didn’t get a lot of run I’ll start with you Eric uh your impressions on how this all played out for a young man who looked like he might have had a bright future here yeah I mean it’s it’s obviously tough anytime

You know this happens to a to a young player and and I had I don’t want to necessarily say high expectations but I had expectations that he would have a shot he would have a chance and and part of the reason um I’ve shared the story a

Couple times but going back to training camp uh you know back in in Vancouver in the fall there was at least one day where like we were you know given the the chance to watch practice full practice a couple days there was one day where he was not just the best guard but

I think the best player on the floor for the Raptors like he was he was knocking down shots he was hustling all over place in the scrimmage he was in in the in the battle at the point um because I think it was I don’t know if it was the

Day before shudder came or shudder was maybe just doing work on the side it was it was Noel and Malachi Flynn going toe to- toe and he was up under Flynn’s chin every time and it got a little Chippy at one point to the point where Darko at

The end of practice kind of hey we’re all a family still and we have each other’s back it’s like that you know jobs are on the line anybody that’s been there it’s a Competitive Edge in practice and stuff like that so I I kind of came away thinking all right this

Guy’s this guy might have a little something and to your point if you can’t stay healthy and it becomes a numbers game and the rap are obviously have a size issue currently right now I think it’s just kind of a crunch I hope he gets a chance somewhere else yeah when

You’re in a situation like the Raptors are in and you’re trying to decide about young players and who you’re going to invest in moving forward and how much time and resource people get left on the outside and it’s unfortunate for him that his injuries didn’t really allow him the consistency of the opportunity

That was in front of him but that’s the nature of professional sports you know and that’s kind of how it goes and the Journey’s not linear He he’ll find his way in some other way and hopefully get another opportunity somewhere else to continue to build his career so you wish

Him well but that’s just the nature of the numbers game sometimes you got to make some decisions and unfortunately he was on the outside looking in unfortunate news for the 905 they’re going to miss those 15 points nine assists a game and of course he was their supposed to be their

Representative at Allstar Weekend uh now let’s talk about kellyo kellyo linck right um the Raptors made the move for him and they were Rumblings that they really liked what Kelly could bring and they solidified that sh with the two-year deal your impressions of exactly what appeals to the front office

And this coaching staff obviously about Kelly’s game and what he can do with a very young Squad because people talk about timelines he’s a little older yeah first of all I like the signing I I like the the number I like the length of the

Deal I like how it fits and I’ve said this many times I feel like a broken record I always feel with a young Corp you need veteran leadership yep not just the leadership in the locker room on the bus in the hotels going out for dinner that stuff is important but onc court

Productive leadership as well as the other things and Kelly at 32 who’s been around the league he’s he’s been in a lot of lock rooms understands the game at a high level I look at him and I think he fits perfectly with this group because he can still produce he can

Still make these young guys better his passing ability the way he can space the floor he’s not shooting the ball well now but he can shoot the ball better and he has in his career and you expect him to but the way that he plays the game

Allows the young players like the Grady dicks like the the RJ barretts like the Emanuel quickley like the Scotty Barnes all these guys will benefit from his style of play so his productivity on the court with the fact that he’s a vet with the fact that the locker room he can

Help out with the fact that he’s from here there’s all kinds of synergies that to me make this a good deal and you’re not signing him to be that guy you’re signing him to be a part of this process and I think it fits really well you know just I can’t say

Anything better than the way Sher just said it heit he hit it perfectly well he just said so damn much I I don’t know what else to say but there’s a there’s one thing between knowing your role and accepting your role and I I often use that line about young players but I

Think it certainly applies to veteran players too and and I think when you look at Kelly he understands that at this point in his career this this is what is needed from him and he’s accepting that and now part of the reason maybe that he’s accepting is cu

He also loves being here talking about in this press conference this is where I’ve wanted to be I you know dreamt about this since I was four years old so if you’ve got a vet that knows hey I’m not going to be playing 30 35 minutes a

Night I don’t need to score 10 and eight or what 12 and five or whatever the hell it is I’m here to play a specific role and be that kind of season vet in the locker room and on the floor that’s exactly what you need right now and it

Also helps you think about the summer that’s coming up for Canada basketball there’s some good energy with that as well you know keeping him here and he’s signed he goes into the summer he can focus on the national team and they’ve got a big task at hand it just works

Well on so many levels and it’s more of a big picture overall thing that the Raptors are looking at Beyond themselves I think there’s a piece of that that’s involved as well playing with his guy RJ to that’s going to help that’s going to help for sure all right so to my earlier

Point unprecedented amount of inseason moves to this Raptor Squad so let’s run through them right JFL gets converted into a regular NBA player uh Moji on a two-way Ramsay joins the team uh cart carton sorry um so Eric I’ll start with you uh 20 games left battle for

Playin some want tank how do these moves kind of allow this team to maneuver through this final stretch of the season this reminds me way back in the day people can look it up when when Wilkins was coaching the team and they were having a rough year to to close out the

Season and and uh they signed Deone Brown to a to a 10day and Lenny after the game didn’t even know who half the guys were and he is he pretty much acknowledged it on the record he’s like you know Damon didn’t play that way he

Like demone he’s like I he just kind of shrug I I don’t even know who these guys are these guys though we know who they are they’re going to be given an opportunity there is no garbage time they’re trying to play for keeps right now they’re trying to to show that they

Belong and to that point the one that sort of I like seeing and not just cuz he played well last night he’s been playing well for the 905 All Season I’m interested to see what Freeman Liberty can do cuz I think he’s got he’s got good athleticism he seems

To play with a lot of confidence um he’s got a good NBA body I think he could be something that the Raptors you know give him 20 games here to close it out this is a guy that I’d be tapping to say yeah I could see him as a rotation player and

The point guard spot’s kind of been an area where you know they’re trying to grow in yeah and this is just opportunity when you think about these guys that you just mentioned all of them in are in a situation where they’re going to get chances to play they’re probably going

To get extended times on the floor because when you look around this team is going to be about this development and figure out who belongs who doesn’t belong Scotty ain’t coming back Yak ain’t coming back exactly and and I think that you know a guy like Freeman

Liberty when he hit the floor in that game against uh the Pelicans he was was about his assignment yeah he didn’t step outside the lines he was focused defensively he did a great job on Brandon Ingram for a stin there and he did things good on the offensive end so

Understanding the opportunity and being responsible with the opportunity is something I really look into because some guys get the opportunity and they just go wild they think it’s their time to be wild I want to see who’s responsible with the opportunity and that to me is where you can leave your

Mark all right that’s the perfect segue now time to join Javon thre man Freeman Liberty uh Javon coach was just in here praising you for the uh energy you brought especially in the second half uh obviously a tough game but what what were your takeaways from it personally

Um earlier me and Coach had a one-on-one talk uh he told me to stay ready and I just feel like I stayed with that mindset through the night and I stayed ready and came out there and gave everything I had um obviously uh it’s tough with uh

Some major injuries on this team but it does create opportunities for you and other players like you um you just spoke about that mindset but like what else does that mean in terms of sort of the practicalities of like more film study you know talking more to other players

Talking more with coaches um definitely um I feel like that I got that opportunity um you know god-given opportunity but um just like you said just stick around uh stay longer days um watch more film um and just always stay ready and just compete at my highest

Level I can thanks for watching the Toronto rappers YouTube channel check out our latest video And subscribe for more denied lead pass here’s mcel in a crow wide open here come the that was great

Lots of players signing new contracts with the Toronto Raptors, Akil Augustine, Paul Jones and Eric Smith break down who’s in, who’s out, and the injury status of the team.

0:00 Introduction
0:25 Markquis Nowell Waived
2:54 Kelly Olynyk Extended
5:53 Ten Days and Two Ways
8:30 Javon Freeman-Liberty
9:32 Thanks for watching!

—————————————————
WATCH more episodes of Raptors Today: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOfGdce15qw9iGIpjI5LKubiiCuiZxouw&si=YnT4t0BNnG_9YvSG

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​FOLLOW the Toronto Raptors on:

X – https://twitter.com/Raptors
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TorontoRaptors/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/raptors/
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@raptors

#Raptors #TorontoRaptors #NBA #RaptorsToday