The Raptors Are Taking A HUGE Risk With Their Roster

The Raptors Are Taking A HUGE Risk With Their Roster

The Raptors have locked in their center depth for the season, their starting center for the very long term, but we still have three questions to answer from Toronto’s free agency so far. Is Sandrew Mamu Kellishveilli a good signing? Did Yakob Purle get overpaid? And are the Raptors risking way too much with this current core? Let’s get into it. Welcome back everybody. This is Amateur Sports, the YouTube channel that is completely dedicated to giving you Toronto Raptors content. Subscribe for more like it and like this video if you enjoy along the way. Yes, three questions to answer over the course of today’s video. Starting off with the Sandrew Mamu Kellish Vely signing, who I will now refer to as Mamu because that is an absolute mouthful to say in videos. But the Raptors have actually brought in a backup center. I mean, all throughout the live stream I did as free agency was taking place, the first three hours of free agency were taking place, fans were demanding for the team to sign a backup center. And I communicated quite a lot like the Raptors may feel content with just who they have here. Scotty Barnes can do a job as a backup center on occasion, as can Colin Murray Boils, who’s listed as a power forward center, at least he was for the draft, and Jonathan Boba we saw last season, can do a job there. And it felt like the Raptors by committee would have people playing in this backup center role. But it would still feel good for the Raptors to just have an extra big body there, especially if Yaka Pearl is to get injured. We have seen some injury issues over the last two years for the players. So the Raptors with their very very limited budget, their very very limited cap room have gone out and signed the free agent Georgian Center. played last season with the San Antonio Spurs. And honestly, like put up some pretty good numbers, like solid overall statistics from him in that season, albeit in not a huge sample of minutes. Did play in 61 games, a pretty good sample of games. Not a strenuous amount of minutes with 11.2 per game. Quite a bit of the minutes came in the latter stage of the season with teams tanking, but still we have some good statistics here. 6.3 points per game, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 eight assists, but he was pretty efficient shooting 67.5% on twos. And this is what Raptors fans are really going to like. It is a center with the ability to space the floor a little bit. Shot 37.3% from three last season. Only on 2.6 attempts per game, but still pretty good there. Mid70s to low 70s in percentage from the free throw line. And that gave him a true stream percentage of 62.8. Now, in a larger role, in a larger sample, like I don’t imagine these statistics will continue to reflect this well. However, this is a player who has played quite a few NBA seasons now. He has fluctuated quite a lot with his three-point percentage, but he has a career three-point percentage right around 35%. And that could be good enough for the Raptors coming off of the bench. It was reported by Shamsia, and according to the agency of Mamu, they are looking to give him a larger role. It is a 2-year $5.5 million deal where it is a player option for the second season. So, I think what Sandro Mamu Kelli is looking for here, he is looking to have a really good one-year stint with the Raptors in a larger role, at least has the opportunity to earn a larger role with the Raptors, and then he’s going to want to take a bigger contract for next season, maybe lock down a more long-term deal, but we shall see. He certainly has the opportunity to earn a bigger role. Like, he is the second best center on the roster. if the R if he plays well he’s going to have a pretty good role off the bench and with his style of play like you know he’s he’s listed at 6’9 barefoot 6′ 10 6′ 11 and by NBA standards he can space the floor a little bit like if he’s playing well he is going to see plenty of minutes with this Raptors team he’s not maybe the best defender but there’s a lot of good defenders that will be around him especially in second units so he has every opportunity here to earn himself a good role we shall see I think the swing piece from him if he’s shooting three ball. Well, there is going to be a lot of minutes for him and he could be definitely in the main rotation for the Raptors. But perhaps the bigger business that got done by the Raptors and the much bigger contract that got done by the Raptors was for starting center Yakob Purle, who had one year left on his deal before he had a decision to make in regards to the fourth year of his contract. Jakob Purdle had initially signed a four-year contract worth $78 million. That is $19.5 million per season. A flat $19.5 million per season. He was going to be earning that for this season, then had a player option worth that at the end of this season for the 2026 2027 season. But the Raptors wanted to get the extension done. We had heard rumors about that happening and the extension was done. Purle has already opted in to taking on that next year of $19.5 million after this year. year. So, he’s going to make $95 million this year, $9.5 million in 2026, 2027, and he extended a further three years. Now, Sham’s initially reported it as a 4-year extension worth $14 million per season. That’s not quite accurate because he did opt into the final year of his current contract. What he has signed is a three-year contract worth $84.5 million. That is an average annual salary of just above $28 million. And honestly, when I first saw that figure, I was happy and I think I’m still happy at the moment. I was on a beach when this news broke, which is why the video is coming out today instead of yesterday. But, uh, I first saw it and my thoughts when I heard of a Purle extension was that he was going to sign a even bigger contract than this. And not only do I feel like he’s under the number I thought he would get, the Raptors also have control of him on a much cheaper number for the next two years. So for those of you who feel as though he should get traded, I don’t agree. But if you feel he should get traded, it’s much more easy for the Raptors to do that. And you know, if things go wrong, if something becomes available for for the Raptors to make a trade, they want to make a trade, who knows? it gives them that further flexibility for the next two seasons where if they do want to make a large decision such as that and trading purle they have a better opportunity to do so. So it’s uh a financial figure lower than what I thought it would be and it gives the Raptors at least maintains a higher degree of flexibility with the player going forward. The widespread opinion online is that this isn’t overpay for Yakob Purle and I just I just don’t agree. I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments down below on this Yako Purle contract, but to me like I’m pretty comfortable with this deal. Like like you can compare it to what Miles Turner signed. Miles Turner, my goodness, signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. Where the hell did that come from? Like uh all these years rumored Miles Turner was going to leave the Pacers. Now they make the NBA Finals and it’s like well like let’s keep building. He jump shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks. Anyways, a lot of the opinion was like Yakob Purle has signed for a higher average annual salary. if you only count the three-year extension, he is signed for a higher average annual salary than Miles Turner. And to me, it’s like yeah, like um Jakob Purle’s better than Miles Turner. Uh like Miles Turner, I mean he even on the just the most recent time we’ve seen on the biggest stage like Miles Turner really did not play too well in the NBA finals and maybe if he had Indiana maybe hoisting that NBA championship like it it was a struggle for him like a good three-point shooter for sure for a big but didn’t quite have it in that series. Defensively he’s not a fantastic rim protector and he’s not a good rebounder like especially for his size but like he is he’s not that good of a rebounder. Purle is a fantastic rebounder, a fantastic rim protector, fantastic screen setter, plays well within the flow of the offense, like a good finisher on the interior. Yakob Pearl has a lot of tremendous qualities and a lot of tremendous qualities that the NBA is starting to trend back towards like offensive rebounding and rim protection. I think Yakob Pearl is a fantastic player. I’m comfortable with this number. The only concern that I could understand is that in his year 34 season, he’s gonna be making $30 million, but the NBA cap is continuing to grow. I just don’t see this as an egregious contract. Like, I’m I’m comfortable with it. I think it’s good business by the Raptors front office. Again, I feel like they came under the number I thought he’d get and they have him pretty cheap for the next two years. Like, the notion that he was going to sign in the 18 to$22 million range is ridiculous. He’s making around that right now and he has honestly outperformed that contract. He’s gotten better since he signed it. But the issues for the Raptors and the risk they are taking here, thus the title of the video does come from the roster as a whole because like not not Yes, I feel like this is fair value for Yakob, but it’s still like a lot of money and there are a lot of Raptors players making a lot of money and this is a team that is absolutely not solidified as a playoff team. They haven’t made the playoffs the last couple years. They’ve been very egregiously tanking the last couple of years and their starting five payroll is very high. Like Scotty Barnes is making nearly $39 million this season and in a few years time he’s going to be making over $50 million. Brandon Ingram is making $38 million this year. Emanuel Quickley is making $32.5 million. RJ Barrett’s making $27.5 million. Yakarl’s making 19.5. And again, we know that number is going to increase in 2 years time to the $28 million average. It’ll be around 26 in that year and in the 27 28 season. So like that’s an expensive starting five. There’s a lot of money that’s being put into that starting five. And judging by some of the comments that have been made by Raptors general manager Bobby Webster in the last few weeks, it doesn’t quite feel like there is a even from the Raptor office a large degree of confidence that this is like this is the core moving forward. They believe in this core. Like when they drafted Colin Murray Bole’s ninth overall, there were people questioning like like what are we doing here? We need a backup center. We we don’t need another wing. But Bobby Webster said that the Raps are still in talent in talent acquisition mode. They are still in their talent acquisition phase. They are still they’re still just looking to bring in the best player available. A talent over fit. That’s great. That’s fine. You know, we addressed a backup center potentially with uh with Mamu in for agency, but you know, a team that went out and made a buying move and Brandon Ingram at the trade deadline, that kind of feels to me like a team that has aspirations to make the playoffs this season. So, with the amount of money being put into this roster, like Scotty Barnes is making a lot that’s only going to continue to grow. I don’t think that was a bad contract. But, you look at everything else. Brandon Ingram $38 million year. I don’t think it’s a bad contract either. Emanuel Quickley $32 million. That might be been a slight overpay. As we continue to move through the contract, as the cap increases, I think it will start to look better. But it’s still like a lot of money. RJ Barrett, a lot of money, $27 million. As much as he might be playing like quite well as a score, you that’s not regarded as a favorable contract by other NBA teams. Yako Purle like again I feel comfortable with that amount but that’s just a lot of money for this team that hasn’t showcased that they have playoff pedigree. So and and also like I’m wondering if that is even the goal of the team for this season all of a sudden like are they trying to be a playoff team? Like are they going to make buying moves? We’ll just have to wait and see. But it is a major risk for pretty much all of the financial backing for this team to have been staked in these five guys, the starting five. Like I think the Raptors will make the playoffs. I’m not confident it’ll be as a top six seed. I think they’re capable of being a top six seed, but realistically I see this even in a depleted East as more of a 78 seed. And if the East gets better next season, it could be even tougher for them. So, what’s going to have to happen here and the risk that is taken right now is essentially like we’ve got a lot of guys playing to their value. And with Purle’s new contract, like now it’s time to improve and continue to get better. We have a lot of players that are playing to their contract value. We need to start to we need to start having players outperform that contract. So, if Brandon performs like an all-star, we could say he’s outperforming the contract. If Barnes performs like an all-star, honestly, he’s meeting the standard of his contract, signing like a rookie max extension, the size that he did. Emanuel Quickley needs to really solidify himself as a high quality starting NBA point guard. As much as I like Quickley, he hasn’t done that and needs to do that to make this contract worth it. For RJ Barrett, he needs to improve as a defender for sure and could stand to improve as a three-point shooter as well. For Purle, what’s going to have to change here? I’m not really sure. I I I I don’t see much path to progression, especially with this busy lineup in place, but if he continues to perform like he is, we could say the contract is still fair value, and I think I could be decently comfortable with that because he’s one of the older guys. We need some of those younger guys to really make those leaps and steps up next season. And if they do, we’ll have a playoff team, I think. And if we don’t, we may not. And that’ll be a really expensive team to not be a playoff team. and would be a pretty bad look for the Raptors.

The Toronto Raptors have gotten their NBA free agency under way and have addressed their need for a backup centre with the signing of Sandro Mamukelashvili and locking up Jakob Poeltl for the long term.

That latter move has NBA fans talking as the widespread opinion is that Poeltl’s 4-year $104 million extension was an overpay making the Raptors the owners of one of the most expensive starting fives despite not being a solidified playoff team. Are these the right movers by the front office?

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0:00 – Raptors have gotten their free agency underway
0:35 – Raptors sign free agent center Sandro Mamukelashvili’
4:04 – Jakob Poeltl signs a massive extension with Toronto
8:34 – The Raptors are taking a major risk with the starting 5

This is Amateur Hour Sports. On this channel, Jacob Gramegna analyzes and breaks down the latest on the Toronto Raptors NBA team from trade rumors to post-game reactions, analysis, and much more. By subscribing to this channel you will be there first to watch and enjoy 3-4 videos a week all focused on this team and on game days Jacob goes live on the channel for a watch party where he interacts with chat, answers your questions, and analyses the game as it happens with play by play and commentary. Join the Amateur Hour Army today by subscribing and consider becoming a member to give extra support to the channel and help create better content more often.

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