The three-year extension that the Raptors gave Terrence Ross is a compromise between what he’s produced so far and the player he has the potential to become, posits Raptors vice president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman, as Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun relays. Various reports have pegged its value from $31MM to nearly $33MM.
“Any time you have a rookie contract the guys, just by definition, are at a stage in their career where they’re probably yet to realize their potential so you’ve got to find that middle ground between where you think the player will go and where he is now,” Weltman said. “That’s why a lot of extensions don’t get done. But, yeah, we like to feel we’ve found some middle ground with Terrence where we’re paying him in the hope that he becomes a great player and we think he has that in him.”
The team is impressed with Ross’ work ethic, and Weltman admits that the rising salary cap is reflected in the value of the deal, notes Ganter. See more about one of the most talked-about of the seven rookie scale extensions this year:
- Ross is most comfortable playing shooting guard, where the Raptors have him now as a backup after using him as a starter at small forward in the past, and the extension is a reasonable hedge against his value going up as he continues to develop, observes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca.
- GM Masai Ujiri has shown that he’d rather set the prices of his players than have the market do that for him, but he’s taking a risk with Ross, who has yet to show that he has the mental toughness necessary to excel, opines Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. The Ross contract appears to be one that Ujiri feels he’d be able to trade if the swingman doesn’t end up producing, Smith believes.
- The 3-point shooting ability Ross has, supply and demand, and the insurance it gives the team in the event DeMar DeRozan bolts are all reasons why the Ross extension wasn’t too much of a gamble for the Raptors, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange argues.
- Ross needs to show significant improvement and become more efficient and consistent to prove worthy of the deal, opines Eric Koreen of the National Post.
What do you think of the Ross extension? Leave a comment to give us your take.
consistency might be lacking, but there’s a strong chance this deal becomes a steal. rather pay now than pay more later with a guy like Ross.