3 Potential Free Agent Options for Raptors Following Chris Paul Decision

The NBA season has reached the All-Star break and one of the surprising teams in the first half of the season has been the Toronto Raptors.

Of course, Toronto missed the playoffs last season after finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference standings but they have turned things around this season as they currently sit fifth in the East with a 32-23 record.

Toronto has built a solid young core led by Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley that has them looking like one of the top teams in the East thus far.

Despite this, the Raptors do still have some holes in their roster that they may elect to fill in free agency, especially after making a major decision regarding Chris Paul on Friday.

Raptors Waive Chris Paul, Open Up Roster Spot

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Raptors waived Paul on Friday, who then announced his retirement after 21 seasons in the NBA.

By making this move, the Raptors now have an open roster space to sign someone in free agency to bolster their roster for the second half of the season.

For the Raptors, they have many options to choose from in the free agent pool right now or they could also wait to see if more players are bought out.

Either way, they may target these three players to add depth to their roster as they try to compete for a top seed in the East to end the regular season.

Lonzo Ball

One player the Raptors could target in free agency is veteran guard Lonzo Ball who was released by the Utah Jazz after they acquired him from the Cleveland Cavaliers ahead of the trade deadline.

For Ball, he would provide Toronto with another solid option in their backcourt alongside Quickley and Jamal Shead who would give them a reliable scorer and defender.

Before being released, the 28-year-old guard was averaging 4.6 points, .40 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 30.1% from the field and 27.2% from three over 35 games in Cleveland.

Mason Plumlee

The Raptors could also target veteran center Mason Plumlee , who was released by the Oklahoma City Thunder after being traded by the Charlotte Hornets ahead of the deadline.

For Plumlee, could help Toronto address a major frontcourt need, especially with Jakob Poeltl missing extended time due to a back injury, as a key big man off the bench.

This season, the 35-year-old was averaging 1.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 75.0% from the field over 14 games in Charlotte.

Haywood Highsmith

Toronto could also target Haywood Highsmith to add to their wing depth after he was released by the Brooklyn Nets.

Of course, Highsmith has yet to play this season as he began the year recovering from knee surgery, though he had been cleared to return before being cut by Brooklyn.

The 29-year-old forward would provide Toronto with a reliable scorer and defender on the wing who could play a similar role as he did with the Miami Heat last season where he averaged 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 45.8% from the field and 38.2% from three.

While Toronto could target these three players, they also have many other options to fill their open roster spot and they may also wait to see if any other players around the league are bought out before making a decision.