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The Toronto Raptors are starting to make moves in the post-Dwane Casey era. According to team’s official media relations’ Twitter account, the Raptors have put qualifying offers on the tables of Fred Van Vleet, Malcolm Miller, and Nando De Colo to keep control of the said players’ rights as restricted free agents.
https://twitter.com/RaptorsMR/status/1012063169311748097
By doing so, the Raptors have the option to match offers the aforementioned players will receive from other teams in the free agency period. It’s also worth noting that unlike Van Vleet, Miller, and De Colo, big man Lucas Nogueira did not get a qualifying offer, which means he is now free to sign with any team as an unrestricted free agent.
VanVleet had a breakout season in 2017-18, as he consistently provided a spark off the bench for Toronto, averaging 8.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 76 games – all as part of the team’s second unit.
Miller, meanwhile, had a two-way deal with the Raptors last season, which made him spend time in the NBA and in the G-League. In 15 games with the Raptors, he averaged 2.5 points and 8.4 minutes in 15 games (four starts).
As for De Colo, the French guard hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since 2014, but has the option to suit up with Toronto through the Raptors’ offer. He spent last season in Europe, leading CSKA Moscow to a semifinals appearance in the 2017-18 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
The Raptors are currently over the cap by $26.5 million, so they will still have plenty more decisions to make in order to stay under the salary cap or the luxury tax threshold. Last season, the tax level was set at $119.266 million, though, that is expected to increase with the projected salary cap expected to rise to $101 million.
