Fourth-year center Khem Birch will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, giving him the freedom to sign with any team, but his comments following Sunday’s regular season finale made it sound as if he’d like to stick with the Raptors, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who tweets that Birch said fit is as important as money in free agency.
“I got lucky,” Birch said of his late-season move from the Magic to the Raptors. “If I would’ve stayed in Orlando people probably would’ve thought I’m just a regular bench big who can’t score. I’m fortunate these guys believed in me.”
After averaging 4.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in 188 total games in Orlando (16.5 MPG), Birch put up 11.6 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 18 games (29.8 MPG) with Toronto and didn’t sacrifice efficiency — his field-goal percentage increased to 55.8% despite the fact that he was attempting a career-high 1.6 threes per game as a Raptor.
Here’s more on the Raptors, who missed the postseason for the first time since 2013:
- As a restricted free agent who was a key trade-deadline acquisition for the Raptors, Gary Trent Jr. is a good bet to remain with the team, though he indicated today that he’s prepared for any scenario. According to Lewenberg (Twitter link), Trent said he understands that the NBA is a business and that – as an RFA – his future isn’t fully in his hands, but said he’d “definitely” be open to being a Raptor going forward.
- OG Anunoby said that his injured calf is getting better and that he’s looking forward to carrying over his work this season into the summer, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. Anunoby missed the final eight games of the season due to that calf issue.
- With so many regular contributors injured or resting near the end of the season, many of the Raptors’ bench players have had a chance to shine. As Holly MacKenzie writes for the team’s official site, Stanley Johnson and Jalen Harris each established a new career-high for points in a game in the season’s final week (Harris did it twice).
- Harris and Malachi Flynn didn’t receive a ton of attention this season compared to other members of the 2020/21 rookie class, but both players look like good fits in the Raptors’ culture and could stick around for a while, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic.
I think Raptors will be back next year. Can’t see Nurse being content with being a loser. Not a perfect core but plenty to work with. Would be interesting to see Dame on that team.
Flynn looks quick going to the rim; I don’t see why he doesn’t get respect.
Let’s not get carried away with these rookie performances in tank games. In any NBA game, someone has to score. A player like Flynn are a dime a dozen in the G-league. Harris looks to be better prospect.
Harris plays a different position. The key question is what to do about Lowry. The Raps should feel comfortable going without him, with FVV & Flynn at the 1.
Flynn is probing, quick-seeing, and quick multidirectionally, besides regular quick! And secure with the ball while finding a finisher. He doesn’t give up on the ball if he passes it off. If the NCAA turny were allowed to go on, he would have gotten the same kind of push Trevion Mitchell did this year that often gets him named the top draftee after the big 5 (i.e. Chris Ford’s big board).
Mitchell wii be as good as he needs to be to be better than his opponent. But I digress.
Where did I say that Harris is a pg. You going off on Flynn is the same blindness to the fact that there’s tons of guys in the G-league with the same skills set. Stop drinking the Masai kool-aid. Raps should’ve picked D.Bane who went all-rookie.
Short-sighted. The key issue is giving up on Lowry, or not. Bane or Harris do not help at PG, and Flynn does not have to start. One can go on forever on was was drafted later than Flynn who looks a shinier object. You could have said Quickly. Do you want to trade Lowry or not; or have the freedom to.
If TOR is going to let Lowry go, they better get a replacement they want to see in the game from that #30. It’s not best-available-athlete territory if you have a need.
I think I’m the biggest Ujiri critic on here, but I’m not going to roast him on not having a higher pick.
Skillset is not even Flynn’s problem, size is. His 3pt% should rise, they usually do.
Raptors need to not fall in love with the Vets. And go on a mini rebuild. Try to find a couple younger pieces to go with Siakam and make him the focal point of the team. VanFleet moves to point and Trent slides into one of the starting wings. Flynn is a solid backup for VanFleet. Harris is a decent 3rd wing off then bench. They need to make some more creative trades and try to get younger and more athletic fast while Siakam is still on the younger side
Gotta draft a two way big or simply sign Derozen back….
Gotta keep Trent Jr, sign Bamba and keep Birch…