Report: Raptors sign Freddie Gillespie to 2-year contract
The Toronto Raptors have signed Freddie Gillespie to a two-year contract, as first reported by The Athletic's Blake Murphy.
Although the Raptors have yet to confirm the term and length of the deal, Gillespie will earn an additional $117,000 for the duration of the season, has a 2021-22 non-guaranteed minimum clause and a $50,000 fully guaranteed bonus that will be activated if he's on the opening night roster for 2021-22, Murphy reports.
Gillespie's deal structure:
Rest-of-season (minimum, he'll make about $117K more on top of the $123K he made on 10-days)
2021-22 non-guaranteed minimum, $50K guarantee trigger (unsure of date), fully guarantees if he makes the opening night roster.
He'd be RFA beyond that.— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) April 28, 2021
Toronto has a rich tradition under the leadership of Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster to reward players who outperform their initial expectations and Gillespie is no different in this respect. After going undrafted in 2020 following a stellar three-year stint at Baylor, the 23-year-old was selected by the Memphis Hustle in January's G League draft and averaged a double-double in 15 games.
Gillespie is averaging 5.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16 minutes per game during his stint with the Raptors, adding some much-needed depth to the front court in a season where Toronto's big men by and large have significantly underperformed.
Off the court, Gillespie has already made an indelible mark on his teammates, showering them with an enthusiastic rendition of Miley Cyrus's hit "Party in the USA" during the team's rookie initiation sing-a-long.
Freddie Gillespie was ALL IN on "Party in the USA" 🎶
Kyle Lowry was absolutely loving it as the MC 😂
(via @Raptors) pic.twitter.com/v9KcgqOlpD— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 23, 2021
Gillespie has done well for himself and on a team that features one of the best undrafted-to-star trajectories in the league in Fred VanVleet, this very well could be a mutually beneficially arrangement for player and team.
More from Yahoo Sports: