The Toronto Raptors have made it clear this season that they intend on entering a full-scale rebuild. After trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, it’s clear they aren’t intent on winning in the near future. With that in mind, it makes sense to see what they have in their young players as they attempt to build their roster back up over the next few seasons.
With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, teams across the league are filling in the open spots on their roster. The Raptors obviously aren’t going to hit the buyout market and see if they can land anyone there, so they have decided to take a flier on a former lottery pick in Justise Winslow, who has been playing on their G League squad this season, to see if he can finally find his way in the NBA.
Via Adrian Wojnarowski:
“Free agent F Justise Winslow is signing a 10-day deal with the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN. Winslow has been playing with the Raptors’ 905 G League team.”
Justise Winslow not the only addition the Raptors make
Winslow, who was taken with the tenth overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, has never lived up to his potential, but with the Raptors having minutes available, they figured they’d give him a look to see if he flashes during his time with them. In addition to signing Winslow to a ten-day deal, the Raptors are also signing Mouhamadou Gueye to a ten-day contract amid his strong season in the G League.
Gueye went undrafted back in 2022, but he is having a strong campaign with the Raptors G League squad, so similar to Winslow, the team is going to give Gueye some minutes in the NBA to see what happens. Expectations for these guys shouldn’t be high, but it will be interesting to see if they play well enough to convince Toronto to give them a more permanent deal once their initial contracts expire.
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