Jalen McDaniels Looks to Break Raptors' Free Agent Curse & Talks Areas of Development

The Toronto Raptors have a bleak history in free agency but Jalen McDaniels hopes to change that on a new two-year deal with the organization

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

History hasn’t been kind to the Toronto Raptors in free agency.

For all the news, excitement, and optimism that comes with this time of the year, the fact of the matter is Toronto has never been successful when it comes to bringing in NBA talent in the open market. Take out the undrafted players and overseas pick-ups and the list of impact players the Raptors have signed gets bleak: Bismack Biyombo signed a two-year deal in 2015 that worked out well and Jarrett Jack was fine on a four-year deal, but after that, the list tapers off in a hurry.

Now it’s Jalen McDaniels’ turn to break the curse having inked a two-year, $9.3 million deal with the Raptors that became official Thursday. For Toronto, it’s a low-risk, upside signing. The 25-year-old, 6-foot-9 forward fits Toronto’s identity of the past few seasons. He’s not going to wow you off the dribble, but he can hold his own defensively and is an adequate catch-and-shoot three-point shooter.

“Jalen is a hard-working, defensive-minded player who we believe has tremendous potential for growth,” Vice-Chairman and President Masai Ujiri said in a press release. “He brings versatility to both ends of the floor, and we’re excited to see him develop as a member of the Raptors.”

McDaniels, the brother of Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels, comes over as a fifth-year player, having been drafted 52nd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He spent parts of his first four seasons in Charlotte before being moved to the Philadelphia 76ers at the 2023 trade deadline. He averaged a career-high 9.4 points with 4.3 rebounds per game last season with a 33.2% three-point stroke, the lowest of his career.

“I felt like [Toronto] was a good fit for me,” McDaniels said of his decision to join the organization. “It has a lot of guys like myself, long, athletic, very versatile, bringing different things to the table on the court. I feel like I just fit their playing style.”

McDaniels certainly fits Toronto’s old playing style, whether he’ll fit whatever comes next under Darko Rajaković remains to be seen. The two had yet to connect as of Thursday, McDaniels said, but Rajaković’s egalitarian offensive system in Memphis that saw a lot of ball movement has McDaniels excited about playing in Toronto.

For now, McDaniels remains very raw offensively. Over half of his field goals came without a dribble and he shot just 38% on his 320 drive attempts last season with more turnovers than assists. But McDaniels says there’s more to his game than he’s shown so far.

“People 6’9” don’t always handle the ball, come off screens, do stuff like that. I feel like I have that in my game as well,” said McDaniels who generated just 0.56 points per possession off screens last season, a number that had him among the least efficient scorers off screens. “Just being versatile. Shooting the ball, catch-and-shoot threes, making plays off the balance, and being a facilitator. I feel like I have that in me. So I hope you all get to see this year.”

While Toronto’s depth in wing talent and like-sized players may have drawn McDaniels to the organization, it may be a hindrance to his playing time as well. He’s not going to start for the Raptors and will likely play behind Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher, Gradey Dick, and potentially Otto Porter Jr., when he’s healthy. That makes McDaniels the 11th or 12th man behind Dennis Schroder in the backcourt. But as the Raptors have learned over the past few seasons, depth is crucial in the NBA and McDaniels will be ready to go when his number is called upon.

Will it work out?

If it does, it’ll be the first in Raptors' history.