Sullinger to the Raptors? (EDIT: Confirmed by Woj/1-yr deal)

[RJ87]

They needed a replacement for Biz so it makes sense.

[j804]

That is weird for even 6mil we didn't want him. Something else has gotta be falling.

[MBunge]

Sullinger's roughly 1/6 deal tells us one thing: Danny had no interest whatsoever in keeping him.

It also tells us how incredibly bad Sully's reputation is around the league.  He's so much more talented than Biyombo that it's not even funny and THIS is all he could get?

Mike

[BitterJim]

I'm normally not one to throw around weight jokes, but:

Sully is really excited to be measured in kilograms instead of pounds!

Should have gone to the UK, stones would have helped even more

[saltlover]

That is weird for even 6mil we didn't want him. Something else has gotta be falling.

One difference is that the Raptors can trade Sully on a 1-year deal, where we would be unable to do so.

[PhoSita]

So their big rotation looks like :

Patterson, JV

Sullinger, Poeltl

Caboclo, Nogueira


Hm. Not bad. Not great, either.

Probably as good a compliment as one is going to hear about Toronto on CB. They've won three straight division titles and they still aren't really respected here.

It's not just on CB.  Nobody takes the Raps seriously.

They've got a nice team.  Solidly the 2nd best team in the East last season.  3rd best the season before.  They've won a bunch of games over the last few years.  Finally had some success in the playoffs this past year.

All they are is a nice team, though.  They aren't taken seriously because it's obvious they aren't going to ever genuinely challenge the Cavaliers with the Lowry and Derozan show.  Still, I'm sure they are beloved by Toronto fans, and rightly so.  That franchise deserves a stable team that wins games and plays in April and May every year.

Building a solid team like that with a consistent, reasonably entertaining core and winning multiple division titles and playoff series -- that's an admirable achievement, and a worthy goal if competing for a championship isn't in the cards.

[PhoSita]

Sullinger's roughly 1/6 deal tells us one thing: Danny had no interest whatsoever in keeping him.

It also tells us how incredibly bad Sully's reputation is around the league.  He's so much more talented than Biyombo that it's not even funny and THIS is all he could get?

Mike

It's hard to make a significant commitment, in minutes or in money, to a big man who can neither protect the rim nor reliably hit outside shots.

That's where the NBA is at.  If you can't do either of those things as a big man, you better be a phenomenal rebounder or a dominant scorer within 15 feet.  And even then people will question if they'd be better off with a combo forward who can adequately defend multiple positions and nail spot-up threes.

[RJ87]

That is weird for even 6mil we didn't want him. Something else has gotta be falling.

Or he just wore out his welcome here. I remembered reading something early last year that the C's brass didn't like that his father was so involved and he was kind of a handful for CBS. I'll try to find the link.

[PhoSita]

That is weird for even 6mil we didn't want him. Something else has gotta be falling.

Or he just wore out his welcome here. I remembered reading something early last year that the C's brass didn't like that his father was so involved and he was kind of a handful for CBS. I'll try to find the link.

I mean, they literally staged an intervention last summer with him about his weight.  Clearly that didn't work.  So it's not surprising the team decided to move on.  Sully was shown the writing on the wall and he failed to make the drastic changes that were necessary to keep his job.  As a result, he missed out on what probably would have been the major payday of his career. 

Instead of that payday, I have a feeling this one year deal for 6 million will be his last contract above the minimum before he washes out of the league a few years from now.

A huge waste of ability.

[MBunge]

Sullinger's roughly 1/6 deal tells us one thing: Danny had no interest whatsoever in keeping him.

It also tells us how incredibly bad Sully's reputation is around the league.  He's so much more talented than Biyombo that it's not even funny and THIS is all he could get?

Mike

It's hard to make a significant commitment, in minutes or in money, to a big man who can neither protect the rim nor reliably hit outside shots.

That's where the NBA is at.  If you can't do either of those things as a big man, you better be a phenomenal rebounder or a dominant scorer within 15 feet.  And even then people will question if they'd be better off with a combo forward who can adequately defend multiple positions and nail spot-up threes.

That may be what people thing but that's foolishness.  Sully can't shoot threes but certainly has a good enough jumper, is a very strong rebounder and, when in shape, is a perfectly acceptable positional defender.  The idea that someone like Biyombo will contribute more to winning, or at least as much more as their salary disparity indicates, is just a classic example of group-think stupidity.

But if this is more about fear that Sully is going to eat his way out of the league, that's perfectly reasonable.

Mike

[RJ87]

That is weird for even 6mil we didn't want him. Something else has gotta be falling.

Or he just wore out his welcome here. I remembered reading something early last year that the C's brass didn't like that his father was so involved and he was kind of a handful for CBS. I'll try to find the link.

I mean, they literally staged an intervention last summer with him about his weight.  Clearly that didn't work.  So it's not surprising the team decided to move on.  Sully was shown the writing on the wall and he failed to make the drastic changes that were necessary to keep his job.  As a result, he missed out on what probably would have been the major payday of his career. 

Instead of that payday, I have a feeling this one year deal for 6 million will be his last contract above the minimum before he washes out of the league a few years from now.

A huge waste of ability.

I agree. It doesn't bode well for his future that he couldn't secure a bigger payday at his age in this crazy market. Look at comparable talent: Trevor Booker got 2 years and $18m. Jon Leuer 4 years, $42m. Ian Mahinmi ended up with $64m over 4 years.

He had a more productive year than those guys last season, but couldn't cash in? That's a red flag.

[Surferdad]

on a serious note - good for sully! Happy that he's found a home in Toronto (if this is true). Wishing you all the best up North.

It's not a home yet, just a landing spot, but yeah good for him.

Guess I'm not all that savvy with trades, but why couldn't we have done a S&T and gotten some assets back?

[Jiri Welsch]

on a serious note - good for sully! Happy that he's found a home in Toronto (if this is true). Wishing you all the best up North.

It's not a home yet, just a landing spot, but yeah good for him.

Guess I'm not all that savvy with trades, but why couldn't we have done a S&T and gotten some assets back?

Raptors probably could absorb the contract without making room. And we renounced him, so he was an UFA when he signed.

[kozlodoev]

on a serious note - good for sully! Happy that he's found a home in Toronto (if this is true). Wishing you all the best up North.

It's not a home yet, just a landing spot, but yeah good for him.

Guess I'm not all that savvy with trades, but why couldn't we have done a S&T and gotten some assets back?

Why do you think the Raptors like him enough to give any sort of assets back?

[Lucky17]

That is weird for even 6mil we didn't want him. Something else has gotta be falling.

Or he just wore out his welcome here. I remembered reading something early last year that the C's brass didn't like that his father was so involved and he was kind of a handful for CBS. I'll try to find the link.

I mean, they literally staged an intervention last summer with him about his weight.  Clearly that didn't work.  So it's not surprising the team decided to move on.  Sully was shown the writing on the wall and he failed to make the drastic changes that were necessary to keep his job.  As a result, he missed out on what probably would have been the major payday of his career. 

Instead of that payday, I have a feeling this one year deal for 6 million will be his last contract above the minimum before he washes out of the league a few years from now.

A huge waste of ability.

I agree. It doesn't bode well for his future that he couldn't secure a bigger payday at his age in this crazy market. Look at comparable talent: Trevor Booker got 2 years and $18m. Jon Leuer 4 years, $42m. Ian Mahinmi ended up with $64m over 4 years.

He had a more productive year than those guys last season, but couldn't cash in? That's a red flag.

I'm not so sure.

For all we know, Sully prioritized playing time, fit, playoffs, and the ability to hit the FA market again next season (when the cap goes up again) over a long-term deal.