Lately, the Toronto Raptors have been practically the textbook definition of mediocrity. The Raptors missed out on the postseason in the 2022-23 NBA campaign, marking the second time in the last three seasons they've failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Raptors finished the 2022-23 campaign with a mediocre 41-41 record, the ninth-best in the Eastern Conference. And the Raptors made the play-in tournament but lost to the DeMar DeRozan-led tenth-seeded Chicago Bulls by a final score of 109-105.

The Raptors have stagnated in recent years, and the moves they've made thus far this offseason don't indicate that they'll escape from NBA purgatory anytime soon. Toronto lost arguably its best pure scorer, Fred VanVleet, to the Houston Rockets in free agency. VanVleet did get overpaid, as he signed a three-year, $130 million deal with Houston, a number that didn't make a lot of sense for the Raptors to offer VanVleet.

The Raptors did make some solid free-agent acquisitions to try to make up for VanVleet's absence. They signed Los Angeles Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder and Philadelphia 76ers wing Jalen McDaniels to their roster in free agency. But still, the Raptors are a worse team on paper now than they were at the end of last season, and VanVleet's departure means Toronto is very light in depth at the point guard position. With all of that said, let's look at one bargain-bin free agent that the Toronto Raptors should target in free agency.

Raptors: 1 bargain-bin free agent still worth targeting

Ish Smith

Now that VanVleet is a member of the Houston Rockets, the Raptors are really lacking point guard depth. Schroder is the only rotation-caliber point guard on the roster at this juncture. Malachi Flynn and Jeff Dowtin Jr. haven't proven enough at the pro level to receive consistent minutes at arguably the most important position in basketball. So the Raptors would be wise to add another point guard to their roster this summer. And one name in particular who makes a lot of sense for the Raptors is Denver Nuggets point guard Ish Smith.

Admittedly, Smith did little but warm the bench for the Nuggets this season. He averaged a mere 9.3 minutes per game during the 2022-23 regular season across 43 appearances, and he logged a grand total of 12 minutes during Denver's postseason run that ended in a championship. But his stats with the Washington Wizards during the 2021-22 campaign indicate that he can still be a very productive backup point guard.

Smith played just 28 games with the Wizards in the 2021-22 season after spending much of the season with the Charlotte Hornets, but during his short stint with Washington, he made a positive impact on the offensive side of the ball. Offensively, Smith provided consistent scoring and playmaking off the bench, as he averaged 8.6 points and 5.2 assists per contest. And what was arguably even more impressive than his assists number was his low turnover rate — Smith turned the ball over a mere 1.5 times per game.

At this juncture, only time will tell if the Toronto Raptors will decide to keep their roster as it is for the most part or add more players via free agency or trade. But what's already abundantly clear is that the Raptors should aggressively pursue Ish Smith in free agency, as he's a talented offensive player at the point guard position, and Toronto wouldn't have to break the bank to acquire him.