Raptors sign former first-round pick Justise Winslow
The Toronto Raptors have added some depth ahead of the 2023-24 season, as they announced on Friday afternoon that they have signed small forward Justise Winslow.
Winslow has bounced around over the past three years, spending time with the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, and Portland Trail Blazers. Before that, he spent five seasons with the Miami Heat, who selected him 10th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Winslow’s 2022-23 season was an injury-plagued one, as he suited up for just 29 games with the Trail Blazers before suffering an ankle injury that turned out to be season-ending. Despite initially having it diagnosed as a Grade 2 ankle sprain, a second opinion showed the injury to be more severe, and he wound up undergoing season-ending surgery in March. He started 11 of the 29 games he appeared in, averaging 6.8 points per game along with 3.4 assists and five rebounds.
Though Winslow’s career hasn’t taken off the way many had expected, this is an intriguing pickup for the Raptors. There is no downfall, and the upside could be high given that Winslow is still just 27 years old. Darko Rajaković and the rest of his coaching staff will look to unleash any potential he may still have.
In a corresponding move, the Raptors also announced that they have waived centre Makur Maker, who will head to 905 in the G League should he go unclaimed. The 22-year-old was signed by the Raptors earlier this month after spending the 2022-23 season with the Washington Wizard’s G League affiliate Capital City Go-Go. He has yet to appear in an NBA game in his short professional career.
- You might also like:
- "He's rushing things": Rajaković on growing pains for Raptors' Gradey Dick