The Raptors sign Justise Winslow and Mo Gueye to 10-day contracts

The Raptors fill up their roster spots by calling up Justise Winslow and Mo Gueye from the Raptors 905

After the trade deadline and Spencer Dinwiddie’s subsequent “Hello/Goodbye,” the Toronto Raptors found themselves with two open roster spots. The Raptors can technically run with 13 rosters for two weeks but chose to reward two players on their Raptors 905 roster with a 10-day contract.

With the team playing at Scotiabank until the All-Star break, this move should give the Raptors’ coaching staff a good look at Winslow and Gueye. As of this writing, neither player has been announced yet, so we don’t know their availability for tonight’s Cleveland Cavaliers game. However, expect Winslow to remain with the main club, as he can’t easily be assigned to the Raptors 905 on an NBA contract due to CBA rules, with him having more than four years of NBA service. Also, don’t be surprised if at least one gets a second 10-day contract due to the break.

Mouhamadou Gueye, PF/C

The 25-year-old Gueye is currently in his second NBA G League season. He went undrafted out of Pittsburgh and spent last year with the Texas Legends. The lanky 6’9” forward has drawn comparisons with Toronto’s own Chris Boucher, who has a 7’3” wingspan, a knack for blocking shots, and a great motor.

While the two were both late bloomers, the comparison stops there, at least for now, as Gueye is not the perimeter shooter Boucher was with the Raptors 905. Gueye played mostly within his role in the offense, and is having a pretty good season as the team’s starting center for most of the year. He initially started at power forward during the Showcase Cup beside Makur Maker, but injuries to Maker and better lineups called for Gueye to man the middle.

Gueye is the team’s “iron man” in an injury-riddled season. He has played in 29 of the 33 games and averages 14.3 points, 8.4 boards, and 2.7 blocks per game. It’s great to see the main club reward Gueye, who was on the Raptors’ Summer League team, Training Camp and later joined the Raptors 905 as an affiliate player. Since Gueye has less than three years of NBA “service,” the Raptors can still send him to the Raptors 905 at their whim.

Justise Winslow, F

Justise Winslow’s path back to the NBA just got a major milestone with the Raptors signing him to a 10-day contract. It’s been a long road back to the NBA for Winslow, who last played for the Portland Trail Blazers last season before suffering an ankle injury midway through the season that required surgery, thus ending his season.

The Miami Heat’s former lottery pick has had an injury-riddled NBA career. Winslow hasn’t played more than 48 games in a season since 2018-19. When healthy, he’s a versatile offensive player who can create plays for himself and his teammates, whether facing the basket or at the post. While injuries might have slowed him down a bit athletically, his grit, toughness, strength, and defensive versatility make up for it.

It took a while for Winslow to get back on the floor despite being on the Raptors 905’s opening night roster. He saw his first action in mid-December while playing only four games of the Showcase Cup part of the season. He quickly ramped up his activities, playing on 13 of the team’s 17 regular season games, averaging 16.5 points, 7.7 boards, 2.7 assists, and 2.2 steals while collecting clutch defensive stops after another.

Raptors 905 Reinforcements

Since the Raptors poached two of their farm team players, they can now add two replacement players. Per Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy, the Raptors 905 are signing Armon Fletcher and Yor Anei to replace Winslow and Gueye.

In December, Fletcher was one of the 905 (or 911) reinforcements when the team was shorthanded with only 5-6 active players, so there’s some familiarity there. After his stint with the Raptors 905, he had a brief stint with the Ontario Lakers and, more recently, with the Windy City Bulls two days ago.

Yor Anei provides some depth in the front court for the Raptors 905. The 6’10” PF/C had a cup of coffee with the Motor City Cruise back in December, playing his lone game for the Cruise. He registered 2 points, five boards, and three blocks in that game.