Earlier, it was reported that the Toronto Raptors have added more muscle to their 2018-19 roster by signing veteran big man Greg Monroe to a cheap one-year, $2.2 million – or the equivalent of the veteran’s minimum.

According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports, the Raptors had their eyes on Monroe for several weeks before a deal was done. The only thing that was keeping them from acquiring the big man was his asking price, which was previously set at the mid-level exception price of $5.3 million. As it turned out, Monroe’s decision ultimately went down to which interested party offered him the best chance to get significant playing time while still being part of a serious title contender.

Raptors have been looking at available bigs for weeks. Monroe was their primary target. Asking price coming down from MLE ($5.3M) to the vet minimum ($2.2M) was the key to getting a deal done. He had multiple offers, opted for chance to play meaningful minutes on a winning team.

Although Monroe’s value has greatly diminished since parting ways with the Detroit Pistons in 2015, the 6-foot-11 low-post operator is still capable of doing damage when he’s motivated, and it appears he’s under that state based on the fact that he chose lesser money just to be able to see substantial minutes on the floor.

Greg Monroe suited up for three teams last season – Milwaukee, Phoenix, Boston – and is a solid replacement for Jakob Poeltl, who was part of the package Toronto sent to San Antonio for the pair of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. He is expected to be the primary backup to either Jonas Valanciunas and Serge Ibaka within the formidable Toronto frontcourt.