The Raptors have made a pair of roster cuts, announcing today in a press release that they’ve waived big men Freddie Gillespie and Reggie Perry.
Gillespie, who went undrafted out of Baylor in 2020, averaged a double-double (10.5 PPG, 10.3 RPG) with 2.3 BPG in 15 games (27.8 MPG) for the Memphis Hustle in the G League’s Orlando bubble. That performance earned him a pair of 10-day contracts, then a multiyear deal, with the Raptors. He appeared in 20 games for Toronto down the stretch, recording 5.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.0 BPG in 19.6 MPG.
Because Gillespie’s contract wasn’t fully guaranteed beyond the 2020/21 season, the Raptors will only be on the hook for his modest partial guarantee ($50K).
Perry, who was on a non-guaranteed deal, was added to Toronto’s camp roster last month after being let go by Brooklyn earlier in the offseason. Perry spent his rookie year in 2020/21 on a two-way contract with the Nets, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 26 games (8.1 MPG) at the NBA level and putting up 18.1 PPG and 8.9 RPG in 15 games (28.8 MPG) for the Long Island Nets in the G League.
Perry initially received a qualifying offer, but didn’t accept it, and Brooklyn ultimately took it off the table in mid-August, making the forward/center an unrestricted free agent.
The Raptors will still need to make at least one more cut before opening night next week, since four players – Yuta Watanabe, Sam Dekker, Isaac Bonga, and Ishmail Wainright – remain in the mix for three spots on the 15-man roster. Watanabe is considered a good bet to make the team, so the other players three may be competing for two spots, assuming Toronto carries a full 15-man squad into the regular season.
Freddie G deserved to get a spot… Sam Dekker is buns i stg
I think the NBA and the Player’s Association need to do something about these multi-year non-guaranteed contracts in the next CBA. It’s the ultimate bait and switch from the teams. Basically if you outperform the contract they will keep you. Otherwise they lock you up until the last minute and then cut you which prevents you from finding a job with another team since their rosters are all but set. If there is an upside for players, I am not seeing it.
I am not against non-guaranteed one year deals, it is the multiple years that I have a problem with.
The upside was he got signed and paid the rest of that season as an NBA player
That has nothing to do with multiyear / non guaranteed deals. He could have gotten the same thing by just signing a rest of the season deal. That is not an upside to them, it is just the same benefit as he could get from any other deal.
I feel like it was between Yuta and Dekker, with the other guys getting spots. I like Yuta at the 4/3 positions, but if Dekker shows he can be consistent shooting the ball, he may be the better option. That would be a surprising scenario though, with how well Yuta played last year for them. The other guys stick for their defense and versatility, added to this extremely versatile roster with really good defenders around a few shooters…I could see Wainright being the guy they cut, but they could use him at the 3 spot, and if he shoots it adequately, he definitely stays
Pretty sure Gillespie had a small 50K guarantee after being on the roster past August 20th. So Toronto will be on the hook for a small amount.
Thanks, that’s been fixed.
The Raptors made the right decision when they waived Gillespie because he had a bad preseason.