Hawks lose Carroll to Raptors

A self-described “junkyard dog”, during the 2014-15 regular season, DeMarre averaged 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, had a defensive rating of 101.9 and had a defensive rebounding percentage of 14.0 percent.

The six-year veteran had bounced off around the league for four different teams before finding his niche in Atlanta.

Looking to reshape his roster after the Raptors were swept from the opening round of the playoffs, Ujiri has been targeting two-way players.

DeMarre Carroll finally got his big payday Wednesday, agreeing in theory to a four-year, million deal that will make him the highest-paid player on his team. In Atlanta, he found a role and an identity as a defensively minded starter.

Carroll is a reliable three-point shooter, shooting nearly 40% from behind the arc this past season. After helping to lead the 60-win Hawks past the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, Carroll struggled playing through a knee injury in their Eastern Conference Finals defeat to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As first reported by Shams Charania of RealGM.com, the Hawks will re-sign unrestricted free agent forward Paul Millsap, an All-Star in each of his first two campaigns with the club, for three seasons at a total of $58 million. Much of the teams scoring comes from isolation situations, which could go one of two ways for the Raptors with Carroll.

The Raptors had also been in the running for free agent forward LaMarcus Aldridge, with reports saying the Raptors were meeting with him in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon.

The newest member of the Toronto Raptors spoke to TSN 1050 to talk about his decision to sign with the team. “I’m Blessed for this Opportunity”, wrote Carroll on an Instagram posting.

The idea seemed to have intrigued the 28-year-old but analysts were wondering how Toronto can afford Matthews now that they have already signed Carroll to such a big deal. The Raptors needed perimeter defense, and with the additions of Carroll and Delon Wright, they’ve upgraded significantly in that department.

Yesterday, the Raptors also acquired guard Luke Ridnour in a trade. Will the forward help the team win a playoff series?