Small forward Terrence Ross and the Toronto Raptors have agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract extension, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The extension was announced minutes before the deadline.
Terrence Ross, Raptors agree to $33 million extension, per report
The Raptors locked up the young wing for three more years.
Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Ross, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, has spent the majority of the past two seasons as a starter for the Raptors. His emergence coincided with several other quality players in Toronto, including point guard Kyle Lowry and center Jonas Valanciunas. Now the Raptors are among the better teams in the East coming off back-to-back postseason appearances.
The one thing Toronto is still waiting for from Ross is consistency. The 24-year-old saw his numbers dip to 9.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in 2014-15 due to less playing time. While he's got the physical tools to be a fantastic perimeter defender and can shoot from long range, Ross too often disappears. Part of that is a lack of ability to create his own chances, part of it is just the need to be a steadier shooter. We've seen Ross get red hot -- remember that 51-point game? -- so the potential is there.
And now the Raptors are taking the gamble that he'll keep getting better with this extension. The team could've just waited until next summer to see whether anyone extends him an offer sheet, but now Toronto can be secure in knowing it has several of its core players locked up long-term. As prices keep climbing with the salary cap, Ross could end up being a bargain if his game comes together.
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