Toronto Raptors bring back D.J. Wilson on standard 10-day deal

With the Toronto Raptors suffering through injuries and in need of depth help, the team has brought back forward D.J. Wilson on a standard ten-day contract.

OG Anunoby is struggling with a fractured finger and will see a specialist for the issue, while Fred VanVleet is also fighting through a lingering injury, and the Toronto Raptors needed to make a move to address their depth.

That move comes in the form of the familiar D.J. Wilson, who has signed a ten-day contract with the team, having previously spent two ten-day spells with the Raptors back in December after COVID tore its way through the team and left head coach Nick Nurse with a virtually unrecognisable line-up.

During his three-game spell with the Raptors, the power forward averaged 16 minutes on the court and was effective both in rim and open court defence as well as scoring efficiency – with 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and eight points averaged, with just one start under his belt during that brief stretch.

What should also be emphasised is that Wilson’s averages with the Raptors are victims of a 53-second appearance in the third game.

His stat line should now realistically read: 12 points, 6.5 defensive rebounds (7.0 total) and 2.5 steals across the two games he played significant minutes in – with 33:44 and 13:01 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers respectively.

In such a short audition, Wilson truly impressed the Raptors brass. It has taken quite some time for the team to be in a position to give him another chance at earning a standard NBA contract this season, but that opportunity could be presenting itself now.

Typical NBA rules limit a player to two ten-day deals with the same team in a single season, but the Raptors could potentially have the former 17th overall pick around for up to four spells this season due to his first two coming as a result of COVID hardship exceptions.

This third contract with the Toronto Raptors falls under the ‘standard’ category, meaning he will have just one more opportunity to sign a ten-day deal with the team once this current contract expires.

For the Toronto Raptors, he will be available to play as early as tonight against the Brooklyn Nets and could be the depth addition the team has been needing for quite some time – giving them more scoring and additional defensive attributes to help them out of the disappointing run of one win in their last five.