Wow. Bryan Colangelo has probably set some sort of record for moves made by a Raptors GM in a weekend.
Multiple sources have reported that the Raptors have signed 27 year old center Aaron Gray to a 1 year contract. About two hours later, sources indicated that the Raps signed veteran point guard Anthony Carter, likely to a 1 year contract as well.
Also, the Mickael Pietrus trade has been called off. After working out for the Raps, Pietrus had some swelling on his knee, and didn’t look ready to play.
To recap all the signings:
PG- Anthony Carter: A veteran point guard who should provide some leadership and help Jose Calderon and Jerryd Bayless out, especially defensively. The Raps got their much needed third string point guard.
SG/SF- Gary Forbes: A young swingman with some potential. Forbes will likely fill in the hole that Sonny Weems left, and will be a nice option off the bench. The 26 year old wasn’t selected in the 2008 NBA draft and went to play overseas, but joined the Denver Nuggets last year, where he averaged 5.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in around 12 minutes per game.
Note: The Denver Nuggets can match the Raptors offer and retain Forbes
SF- Rasual Butler: Another veteran who will challenge James Johnson for the starting job at small forward. In Butler’s best season, he averaged 11.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game over an average of 33 minutes. While the 33 year old certainly won’t produce at that level again, his stingy defence and solid outside shooting will help out this club.
C- Jamaal Magloire: A veteran who will help mentor the youngsters and should be used as a back-up center. Also the first Canadian born Raptor.
C- Aaron Gray: Will likely be the starting center and has never been given a legitimate chance. He’s averaged 3.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 11.4 minutes over his career. He’s a good defender as well, and solid stopgap option for this season as the Raps wait for Valanciunas.
This will likely finish up the Raptors roster for this upcoming season, and Bryan Colangelo has done a solid job in the sense that he didn’t spend too much and will retain a substantial amount of cap space for 2012 free agency. With the exception of Gary Forbes, all of these are 1 year contracts.
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