Raptors make decision on former first-round pick

Veteran forward Thaddeus Young got good news on Friday when the Raptors opted to keep him on their roster rather than waiving him. Because he’s still under contract, Young’s $8M salary for the 2023-24 season has become fully guaranteed, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. It was previously only partially guaranteed for $1M.

Young didn’t initially look like a great bet to earn that full $8M, since Toronto was facing a cap crunch and he didn’t play a major role in 2022-23. The 35-year-old, who appeared in 54 games for the Raptors last season, averaged just 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per night — all three numbers were career lows.

However, the Raptors gained significant cap flexibility when Fred VanVleet opted to leave Toronto for Houston in free agency. With no risk of surpassing the luxury-tax threshold, the team opted to hang onto Young, whose expiring salary could come in handy in a trade at some point during the 2023-24 league year.

Young was one of several players who had a salary guarantee deadline on Friday, as our tracker shows. Hoops Rumors can confirm that Jeremiah Robinson-Earl of the Thunder ($1.9M) and Brandon Boston Jr. of the Clippers ($1.84M) also remain under contract and have fully guaranteed salaries for 2023-24, as does Timberwolves guard Jordan McLaughlin ($2.32M), which was anticipated.

Trail Blazers forward Trendon Watford was the only roster casualty among Friday’s group, having been cut before his $1.84M salary became guaranteed. The Magic postponed their decision on big man Bol Bol, but  his new salary guarantee date has yet to be reported.