According to reports, the Toronto Raptors have tied down rookie swingman, Terrence Ross, to a three year deal believed to be worth $33 million.
The deal is expected to be a polarizing one and might not be in the new salary-cap conditions. Gone are the days when an above average starter used to pocket $11 million per season. However, the Raptors should feel that they are paying a fairly reasonable price for a solid sixth man who has the potential to develop more than just that.
In a statement, Toronto general manager, Masai Ujiri said that Terrence has developed quite a lot in every season and revealed that the franchise considers the youngster to be a part of what they are trying to build in Toronto.
“He is a great teammate and has worked hard to become one of our best shooters,” Ujiri concluded.
From Toronto’s perspective, Terrence is a rare player on the roster – someone who can with both a 3-point shootout and dunk contest. Moreover, the swingman has shown flashes of brilliance every now and then including a 51-point game a couple of seasons back in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Air Canada Center. He also set career highs for field goals (16), 3-pointers (10) and minutes played (44) in the same game.
Ross is also familiar with the core players, coaching staff and understands the culture. Furthermore, the youngster has been a revelation in his reserve role to start the season and the Raptors did the right thing to tie him down to a lucrative deal since his price tag could have gone up had he hit restricted free agency.
But it has to be noted that both sides are taking equal risks through this deal. By signing this deal, Ross might be parting with a lot of money since he can be a really good two-way shooting guard when on song. Every team likes having players like Ross and now, they have to wait for quite a while to sign him. Moreover, Toronto has made a low risk investment in the player given his abundant potential.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Ross was selected eighth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2012 draft and averaged 6.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 73 games as a rookie.
Last season, he averaged 9.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 82 games as the Raptors went on to win a franchise-best 49 games.
This year, Ross has come off the bench for the Raptors since they added DeMarre Carroll to their roster in the offseason. Given his age and talent, there is no doubt that Ross will continue to improve which is the reason why his team is really banking on this extension.
Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan will remain an unrestricted free agent in 2016 while Ross becomes the second Raptor to sign a rookie extension just before the deadline and joins center, Jonas Valanciunas who penned a four year deal worth $64 million this summer.
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