Thunder sign Carlson to NBA deal off Raptors 905 roster

When the Toronto Raptors waived Branden Carlson at the end of training camp and shuffled him to the G League as an affiliate player, they always knew this was a possibility.

Three games into the Raptors 905 season, the 7-footer has been scooped up by the Oklahoma City Thunder after the team announced they’ve signed Carlson to a standard NBA contract on Saturday.

He’s officially the first NBA call-up for the 905 this season.

Carlson joined Toronto as an undrafted rookie this off-season — taking part in Summer League and training camp — briefly earning a two-way spot, before losing it when the Raptors added Bruno Fernando and Jamison Battle (two-way).

Sent down to the G League ranks, the Utah native impressed early. Carlson averaged 14.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 blocks as the 905’s starting centre. What immediately stood out was his aggressiveness on offence, both inside and outside the 3-point line, shooting 52.5 per cent from the field and 42.9 per cent from distance.

While it’s unclear what his role will be for the undermanned Thunder, his size and willingness to score are desirable traits given their injuries. With Chet Holmgren (hip fracture), Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) and Jaylen Williams (calf) out for an extended period, Oklahoma City’s tallest starter is 6-foot-6 Jalen Williams.

The Thunder, who had one open roster spot, reportedly began scanning the market in recent days after learning Holmgren would be out for at least two months. Instead of offloading one of their many first-round picks in a trade to bolster the frontcourt, they opted to take a flyer on Carlson.

Aside from his strong G League start, Carlson’s track record in college is also impressive. After five years at the University of Utah, the 25-year-old left as the school’s all-time leader in games played (146), blocks (241) and was fifth in scoring (1,892). He’s the only player in Pac-12 history to rack up at least 1,800 points, 800 rebounds, 150 assists and 200 blocks.

What does the move mean for the 905? Well, for now, it means they are without a difinitve starting centre. With Carlson gone to the NBA, Ulrich Chomche is the only legitimate 5-man on the Mississauga squad’s roster. However, conventional wisdom would argue it may be too soon to thrust him into a lead role. It’s asking a lot of the youngest player drafted this summer to go from less than 20 minutes a game — averaging 4.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks — to upwards of 30 like Carlson.

Reinforcements may be on the way, however, as Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy reported that the 905 are adding Vance Jackson Jr. to fill the now-vacant roster spot. The 6-foot-9 G League sophomore was the final cut at the end of the 905’s camp. The catch-22 is that the team was already considering a return for Jackson as they were preparing to lose Quincey Guerrier for some time.

The Montreal native was selected to Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team preliminary roster ahead of FIBA AmeriCup qualifiers, beginning on Nov. 21 in Saskatchewan. Should he make it out of camp and be called for FIBA duties, the 905 will need yet another player to fill the gap.

And for what it’s worth, the signing doesn’t guarantee Carlson’s time with the 905 is over for good. His deal isn’t guaranteed until January, so the Thunder could take more flyers on other players if his time in the NBA doesn’t go well and they remain in need of frontcourt depth. Should he be waived, the 905 would still hold his G League rights.

In the meantime, Oklahoma City gets a dynamic scorer and willing defender without emptying the treasure chest or paying a premium for an ageing veteran, while the 905 get the honour of this year’s sixth NBA call-up across the G League and some roster-construction woes for their troubles.

The silver lining here is that the Thunder’s front office, namely general manager Sam Presti, has a habit of identifying quality talent (and hoarding an obscene amount of first-round picks). The Raptors’ farm system hasn’t been the shining example it once was as of late, and while getting poached hurts, it means the players they’re developing are getting recognized around the league.

The post Thunder sign Carlson to NBA deal off Raptors 905 roster first appeared on Raptors Republic.