Published: July 13, 2009
In yet another shrewd move by Bryan Colangelo, the Toronto Raptors have signed combo guard Jarrett Jack to an offer sheet.
Per team policy financial terms were not disclosed but it’s rumoured to be a four-year offer that would pay him just north of $20 million.
Since Jack is a restricted free agent the Pacers will receive the offer sheet Monday morning and have seven days to match, but according to reports out if Indiana, matching the offer doesn’t seem likely. Despite Jack stealing the starting point guard spot away from T.J. Ford over the last month of the season the Pacers are over the $69.9-million luxury tax number and the front office has vowed to not exceed the luxury tax threshold.
Raptors fans can chalk this up to yet another case of Colangelo masterfully navigating through the collective bargaining agreement this summer.
While Jack was Indiana’s starting point guard the last month of the season, during his time in Indiana and Portland he saw minutes at off guard so the Raptors could play him alongside Jose Calderon for stretches as well. He could also play off the ball with Hedo Turkoglu initiating the offense.
While many teams shy away from adding combo guards, Jack is the perfect insurance insurance policy in case rookie DeMar DeRozan or new addition Antoine Wright don’t fit in as expected early in the season.
An added bonus is Jack is a former teammate of Chris Bosh at Georgia Tech which might provide the veteran with another reason to sign an extension this summer. Although Bosh has told the media on countless occasions he wants to keep his options open, the salary cap is being projected to shrink once again next summer which could lead to less money for teams to throw at him.
Throw into the mix the fact Bosh is excited about next season and the Raptors might have a chance of resigning their marquee player a year earlier than many expected.
6 Comments on "Jack Close To Becoming A Raptor"
khandor on Mon, 13th Jul 2009 11:52 pm
Ryan,
It should not come as a surprise at all, if the Pacers decide to match this contract offer for Jarret Jack.
Ryan McNeill on Tue, 14th Jul 2009 1:51 am
Really? How do you figure?
Linkage for Jul 12 2pm to Jul 14 7am - Raptors Republic - Raptors Blog for the ESPN True Hoop Network on Tue, 14th Jul 2009 8:01 am
[...] Hoops Addict » Jack Close To Becoming A Raptor [...]
Vittorio De Zen on Tue, 14th Jul 2009 12:02 pm
Agreed about Jack being a perfect fit here in Toronto.
Um, Khandor, all signs point to the Pacers declining to match the offer. If they hadn’t signed Dahntay Jones, then, well, maybe.
Pacers insiders have said, though, that his $5 million per year price tag is just too much for a team that already has a high payroll and isn’t anywhere close to being a contender.
I don’t think there’s much of a chance that Bosh re-signs this summer, though. He’s said as much already. I’m sure he’s pleased that his team has (probably) signed his college roommate, but I doubt it makes him reconsider his choice to play out the season. I hope I’m wrong, here.
khandor on Wed, 15th Jul 2009 2:18 pm
When a team takes a long time to announce that it is not going to match an offer sheet, it can sometimes mean that it is actively working to make a trade [or two] which will allow it to retain the services of the player in question. The longer it goes without any official word from the Pacers …
Jarret Jack is a solid NBA player.
IMO, though, he is not someone that you should wish to have on your team in the back-up PG position for a $5.0 M/yr pricetag.
For that sum of money he needs to play as your team’s starter.
khandor on Wed, 15th Jul 2009 2:24 pm
Btw, Vittorio, here’s a link that I think you might enjoy!
In the modern world, however … sometimes, the roads still function in this way, but sometimes they do not, either.
Such is the case with “offer sheets”, as well.