The Toronto Raptors are signing NBA veteran Garrett Temple to a one-year, $3.2 million contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Temple played for the New Orleans Pelicans last season.
The 37-year-old Temple averaged 2.0 points in 25 games for the Pelicans last season. He shot 40.0% from the field, 42.3% from beyond the arc and 75.0% from the free-throw line. Temple was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Raptors lost Fred VanVleet to the Houston Rockets in free agency. They signed Jalen McDaniels and Dennis Schroder and have now added Temple, who has career averages of 6.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 716 NBA games with the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Pelicans.
Toronto lost the 9-10 play-in game to the Bulls and didn’t make the 2023 NBA playoffs. Nick Nurse was fired as head coach and replaced by Darko Rajakovic. The Raptors are open to trading Pascal Siakam for the right price since they are hesitant to offer him a max contract extension. The All-Star is eligible for a contract extension since he has one year left on his deal.
Siakam signed a four-year, $136 million rookie contract extension with the Raptors in October 2019. He will make $37.9 million next season. The NBA champion averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists last season while shooting 48.0% from the field, 32.4% from beyond the arc and 77.4% from the free-throw line.
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT reported in June that Siakam’s preference was to stay with the Raptors. However, things may have changed after Toronto didn’t offer Siakam a max contract extension.
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