Free agent guard Cory Joseph has agreed to a four-year, $30 million deal with the Toronto Raptors, reports ESPN's Chris Broussard. The news comes not long after Joseph hit unrestricted free agency because the San Antonio Spurs withdrew their qualifying offer in order to free up salary cap space to sign LaMarcus Aldridge.
Cory Joseph to sign 4-year, $30 million deal with Raptors, per report
Joseph’s time as an unrestricted free agent did not last long.
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The fourth year of the deal is a player option, per Broussard.
Joseph, 23, became a restricted free agent on July 1 when the Spurs extended him a $3.2 million qualifying offer in order to retain his rights. The team couldn’t afford Aldridge’s four-year, $80 million contract without renouncing Joseph, which happened Sunday after the All-Star big man agreed to terms.
That put Joseph on the open market, where he didn't lasted long before finding a deal with Toronto. The Raptors could use backcourt help after losing Lou Williams to free agency and trading Greivis Vasquez to the Milwaukee Bucks last month, so the addition of Joseph makes sense. The team has also added first-round pick Delon Wright and journeyman Luke Ridnour this summer, but Joseph will likely play a bigger role behind Kyle Lowry than those two.
Last season, Joseph averaged 6.8 points and 2.4 assists in 79 games -- all career-highs -- with San Antonio. He was an efficient scorer, shooting 50 percent from the field and 36 percent from three, and should be a useful piece off the bench in Toronto over the next few years.
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