In the latest NBA news, Jalen Harris has been reinstated after serving a one year suspension. Multiple sources are reporting that he is now a restricted free agent with the Toronto Raptors holding his rights. As a result, any team can sign Jalen Harris to an offer sheet. The Toronto Raptors can match any offer if they choose to do so. So what does this mean for Jalen Harris and the Toronto Raptors?
NBA News – Jalen Harris Has Been Reinstated – Will the Raptors resign him?
This is a tough question to answer. Right now I would say no. The reason is that the Raptors have their training camp roster set at 20 players to compete for roster spots. They would have to waive a player right now to open up a spot for him. For that to happen, the Raptors have to feel that Harris is significantly better then some of their fringe signings. Is Jalen Harris better than DJ Wilson, Justin Champagnie, Jeff Dowtin, or Juancho Hernangomez? I am not sure if he is. Is he better than Malachi Flynn or Svi Mykhailiuk? That is hard to say too. Also, a lot of these players are putting in work at the Rico Hines runs and I think the team would like to see how they look when they come to training camp.
NBA News – Jalen Harris Has Been Reinstated – Any Chance the Raptors sign him in the Future?
I would say yes for a few reasons. First, if the Raptors make a trade (Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell?), that would mean multiple players leaving and some roster spots opening up. I could see the Raptors signing Harris at that point. Also, if during training camp, some of the fringe players underperform, they might cut or waive a few players which could open up a roster spot for Harris. Finally, if no team signs Harris at all, the Raptors might sign him to their G league team the 905. In this scenario, they can still work with him and see if he can grow in their system and maybe be used by the big squad later.
Conclusion
It will be interesting to see what happens to Jalen Harris. I definitely think he will be playing basketball. If I had to guess, I think a team makes him an offer and the Raptors do not match. If no team makes an offer, I think we see Jalen Harris playing for the 905. However, if there is a trade or two or some players really stink it up during training camp, Jalen Harris might be a Raptor again. Only time will tell.
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