The news came to somewhat of a surprise, but Cory Joseph is now the first ever Toronto native to sign with his hometown Toronto Raptors. What do you guys think of this latest signing? “We’re just waiting for that one to come”.
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“We’d be lost without Cory Joseph right now”, Popovich said not long before a February visit to Toronto by his squad.
Joseph will become the second ever Canadian to play for the raptors, following Jamaal Magloire, according to National Post.
Unrestricted free agent Cory Joseph has agreed to a four-year, $30 million deal with the Raptors, with the fourth year a player option. With the market settling down after four days of pure madness to start free agency, Joseph might slip under the radar. Even in today’s changing National Basteball Association landscape with a rising cap, his contract is on the high end for a backup point guard. It is likely to see him playing early in the season for the Raptors.
By Sunday afternoon, Joseph had reached a deal with Toronto. In fact, his defense was adored by Popovich and earned him significant minutes during the Spurs’ championship run in 2014.
“There’s nothing like coming home”.
In four seasons as Tony Parker’s backup Joseph saw his production increase every year.
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Once that happened, it only took Raptors GM Masai Ujiri a few hours to lock up a deal with the promising young guard from Pickering. Despite his considerable salary, however, CoJo remains an unlikely source of fantasy value while Kyle Lowry is healthy. He will assist in the tutelage of rookie Delon Wright – the team’s 20th-overall selection in last month’s draft – like Parker once did for him. The Raptors followed that up with the addition of shot blocking big man Bismack Biyombo on a two-year, $6 million contract. That, in and of itself, is a compelling story but Joseph’s homecoming will be a result of what he’s made himself into, rather than where he’s from.
