The Raptors signed Jonas Valanciunas to a contract extension.
Now, they turn to their other player eligible for a rookie-scale extension – Terrence Ross.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun:
Masai said there have been some talks with Terrence Ross camp.
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) August 20, 2015
How much do the Raptors value Ross? They just signed DeMarre Carroll to push Ross from the starting lineup. I doubt they’ll invest heavily in Ross at this point.
Ross regressed last year after making nice progress in his second season. He shot worse, still did a woeful job getting to the free-throw line and again suffered too many defensive breakdowns.
For the second straight year, Ross was terrible in the playoffs. That can be attributed to a small sample, but there’s no way to spin it as a positive.
Ross underwent offseason ankle surgery. Toronto should know better than me whether a lingering injury excuses some of his struggles or there are concerns about Ross’ athleticism going forward – or both.
Still, Ross is just 24 and talented. If he’ll accept a smaller extension in exchange for security, this might be the right time to buy low on him.
Many teams fall into the trap of paying a player based on the optimistic projection of his future. As long as the Raptors focus on a realistic projection, they’ll be OK.
I doubt that number would please Ross. But it doesn’t hurt to ask.