The Toronto Raptors have signed DJ Carton to a two-way contract.
This was a result of Javon Freeman-Liberty being converted from a two-way contract to a multi-year NBA contract.
Now with Scottie Barnes out indefinitely with a fractured hand, this allows the Raptors to evaluate young talent. Toronto now has an open roster spot due to these two moves, via Josh Lewenberg of TSN:
The Raptors have signed DJ Carton to a 2-way contract, filling the spot that opened up when they converted Javon Freeman-Liberty’s deal. Carton was on a 10-day contract, so this frees up a spot on the regular 15-man roster.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) March 2, 2024
Carton is a 6’3″ guard out of Marquttee, who went undrafted. He spent this G League season with the Minnesota Timberwolves affiliate Iowa Wolves, starting all 15 games.
The 23-year-old averaged an impressive 20.8 points, 7.1 assists and 1.4 steals on 57.1% from the field and 43.4% from three-point range. As mentioned with Barnes out, giving players a shot will be key to see who is worth keeping for the future.
In two games with the Raptors, Carton is only averaging 5.5 minutes. He is averaging 4 points, 0.5 rebounds and 1 assist on 66.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point line.
He recently played on Friday against the Golden State Warriors, where he saw 6 minutes of action. Carton drilled a thee-pointer, two free throws and had two assists. The sample size is small, but his skillset is intriguing.
No player is going to replace what Barnes brought to the table, but some scoring is needed to fill that void.
In Carton’s last game with the Wolves, he put up an impressive stat line. He put up 38 points on 13-for-21 from the field, 4-for-8 from deep, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals all in 43 minutes.
Raptors take on Hornets as homestand continues
The Raptors get set to host the Charlotte Hornets on March 3. The Hornets have lost three straight, but are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Toronto is now 4.5 games back of the Atlanta Hawks for the final Play-In spot in the Eastern Conference. However, with Barnes out for the foreseeable future, the play-in may be out of reach.
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