Raj Mehta – USA Today Sports Images
The Toronto Raptors have a new general manager in Masai Ujiri which has brought a ton of hope to the franchise after Ujiri’s history of success in NBA front offices. After miraculously trading away Andrea Bargnani early in the off-season, it seemed like Ujiri was going to get off to a great start with the Raptors and start building a solid team.
Their latest free-agent signing is a bit underwhelming, though. According to multiple sources, the Raptors have signed forward Austin Daye. Daye spent time with both the Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies last season after being traded in the three-team deal that sent Rudy Gay to the Raptors.
Over his career Daye has played in 237 games and has averaged 5.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 15.4 minutes per game. He has also shot 41 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from the three over his career. Daye has shown flashes of being a quality player in this league, but has never really been able to consistently show that he’s a valuable commodity in this league.
Daye coming to Toronto really seems like a questionable decision. Not only has he never been able to put it all together in the NBA, but he’s also coming into a situation where the forward position is extremely crowded. The Raptors already have Amir Johnson and sharpshooter Steve Novak at the power forward position and have Rudy Gay taking up the majority of the minutes at Daye’s secondary position, the small forward.
Ultimately, this feels a bit like the Raptors are looking to give themselves some insurance at the forward position more than anything. Daye hasn’t proven he’s a consistent enough player to matter in this league and he doesn’t really have a place in Toronto’s rotation. In the end this deal is, in fact, quite bland and not much beyond that.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google+ and like his Facebook page.
