Toronto Raptors: Grading The Offseason
CoJo Cashes In
For those who thought the Raptors dramatically overpaid for DeMarre Carroll, Cory Joseph‘s new deal probably sent tremors through their computer screens. Joseph was an admittedly effective third string point guard for the San Antonio Spurs, a team that seems to breed useful, smart players. But four years and $30 million for CoJo? That seems borderline irresponsible.
With Tony Parker and Patty Mills frequently injured last season, Joseph got some experience as a starter, averaging 6.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. But where he really earned his keep was on the defensive end as a ballhawk against opposing point guards.
$30 million to go home and a featured namedrop on a Drake diss track. Not a bad summer for Cory Joseph.
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) July 26, 2015
Again, you can see Ujiri’s desire to dramatically reshape Toronto’s defense and get it back into top-10 territory — where it was in 2013-14 — with this move. Joseph will help in that regard, and he’ll fill the backup guard position until Delon Wright acclimates himself to the NBA level.
To be fair, committing $7.5 million a year to CoJo is not a horrendous decision from which there’s no escape if he doesn’t pan out. Joseph is only 23 years old and will get his chance to keep building on a career season that earned him this big payday. This isn’t a bargain deal by any means, but we can only fault Ujiri so much for giving a little extra love to a Toronto native.
Grade: C+
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