Toronto Raptors: Who Stays And Who Goes?

The Toronto Raptors have six pending free agents. There are going to be major decisions made as general manager Masai Ujiri tries to revamp the roster for next season while also trying to keep a team that is competitive enough to win the Atlantic Division again.

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Some of these guys won’t return. Some of them will. It’s just a matter of who.

Obviously, the safety net has been withdrawn. No one on the Raps is safe save probably Bruno Caboclo. Everyone else? If the right trade comes along, anyone on the squad could be gone.

With the free agents, a lot will hinge on the deals Masai is able to make. Still, there are a few players he definitely should and shouldn’t bring back. Out of the six, here are my thoughts on the possibility (or not) of their return:

1. Amir Johnson

I’ve written about this before. It’s time. Amir has been solid for the Raptors in years past, but his injuries are taking such a toll on him that we only get to see a strong performance out of him once every five or six games.

That’s not enough for a team looking to compete.

There are a plethora of power forwards in free agency this summer. Ujiri will likely seek out one of them in place of Johnson.

If he does go, Amir will at least leave one of the most beloved Raptors of all-time. A hard worker who never quits and never complains. Here’s hoping he finds a role on a contender.

2. Landry Fields

He won’t be back. Or, at least, he shouldn’t be.

The Raps have been waiting to dump this contract ever since Bryan Colangelo signed it back in 2012. Signing Fields was an attempt to acquire Steve Nash as well, but we all know how that played out.

Fields has been a pine-rider ever since he joined the squad and hasn’t been able to get his shot right after a few key injuries. He had a lot of promise as a rookie in New York, but a small forward who can’t shoot is an issue in today’s game.

Fields is still an excellent defender, pretty athletic and a good worker. He gives effort when he’s on the floor. Some team will take a chance on him hoping that he can be their backup SF that plays the “stopper” role.

Let’s just hope the team that brings him aboard isn’t Toronto. I’ve had enough of the Fat Princess commercials.

3. Chuck Hayes

Really tough to say if he’ll be back. Hayes doesn’t play much, of course, but he’s a veteran presence and when he does hit the floor, he makes sure to be physical and use up his six fouls.

Other than him, the Raptors don’t have many veteran guys. Hayes is a calming, locker room-friendly dude who just brings age and wisdom.

That said, he’s really not providing much else. Toronto has chemistry. That’s not the issue here. If Ujiri can find a replacement or just decides he wants the extra cap space, it’s hard to argue with letting Hayes go.

4. Tyler Hansbrough

Hansbrough is Toronto’s bully-baller. He gets in the game to agitate opponents and provide a spark if the team is struggling. He’s undersized and a groan-inducing finisher, but he still brings a smile to my face at times.

Every great team does need a guy who won’t back down. For the Raptors, that’s Psycho-T. He doesn’t need many minutes to be effective and he can actually change the course of the game at times.

As long as he doesn’t get overpaid, I have no problem with his return.

5. Greg Stiemsma

He’s the 15th guy. Er, sort of. That’s kind of a debate between him, Hayes, Bruno and Lucas Nogueira.

Point is, Stiemsma doesn’t get much floor time and he’s really just an insurance player. If the Raps ever sustain so many injuries that they need him, he’s ready to roll.

He’ll always be able to find a place on an NBA team, since bigs are so valuable these days. Especially ones who can block shots and take up space. Stiemsma has played his role perfectly to this point.

Verdict? I’m pretty “meh” about bringing him back. I can’t see myself caring too much either way.

6. Lou Williams

Perhaps the most intriguing pending free agent of all. What do you do with the reigning Sixth Man of the Year?

When you say it like that, the obvious notion is to bring him back at once. But Lou’s game is erratic and, at times, forced the Raptors into bad situations and/or wasn’t able to pull them out of those sorts of situations.

I’m sure we’re all tired of the end of shot clock isolation plays that Dwane Casey seemed perfectly fine with running every single quarter.

When Lou is hot, he’s nearly unstoppable. He has in-the-gym range (note: maybe we should start calling this Stephen Curry range). He has one of the best shot fakes in the game and regularly tricks defenders into fouling him on the shot, allowing him to get to the line where he’s effective.

Defensively, he’s a non-factor but that’s not why you have Lou Williams in the game. He’s there to score, and 65 percent of the time he’s going to give you something very good. Since that’s over half of the time, plus the fact that the Raps’ bench unit was often better than their starters, I think Lou should be brought back as long as it’s at the right price.

There is a lot riding on Ujiri to perform this summer. None of these guys are big time (only Lou has a name casual fans of another team might recognize). With all of these expiring contracts, there will be plenty of space to work.

Despite the way things ended this season, it will be sad to see some of these guys go. They can’t all come back. I wish each of them the best of luck, no matter how things go down.

The NBA is a business first, and Toronto will be experiencing that very soon.

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