The busy month of July for the Toronto Raptors has come and gone. On July 1st at 12:01AM , I remember being at the movie theatre watching "The Hangover", and tweeting "It's July 1st at 12:01AM..let the NBA free agency begin". However, when I sent this text, I NEVER imagined what would be in store.
On July 3rd, it was rumored Hedo Turkoglu was going to sign a 5 year, $53M deal with Toronto, but it couldn't be official until the 8th. Many Raptor fans were up in arms because the Raptors wouldn't be able to sign anyone else, due to the enormity of Hedo's contract. However, during those 5 days before the trade became official, the Raptors, Mavericks, and Magic worked out a complicated sign-and-trade, which sent Shawn Marion to Dallas, while the Raptors were able to retain all of their exceptions. This was huge because it allowed the Raptors to bring in more support off the bench.
Just a few weeks later, Bryan Colangelo made another splash. On July 21st, the Raptors signed PG Jarrett Jack to the midlevel exception. By adding Jack, the Raptors bring in a proven backup PG who will complement Jose Calderon nicely. I loved this signing, because not only will it fix a key issue, but it adds more depth to the bench.
As if Raptor fans couldn't praise Bryan Colangelo anymore, he made yet another move. In his next move, we (and yes, I know I said we) welcomed back Rasho Nesterovic. Nesterovic, who played for the Raptors from 2006-2008, signed a 1 year deal, worth around $1.9M. It's nice to welcome Rasho back, because he'll fix the problem of an athletic, back-up big man.
All in all, Bryan Colangelo put together an unbelievable July. The Raptors still have money left to spend, so I'm sure more moves will be made within the next few weeks. It has been a great off-season for the Toronto Raptors, one that I believe will put the Raptors at the top of the Eastern Conference.
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