There has been plenty of chatter surrounding the Toronto Raptors and Vince Carter having a reunion at some point in the future. Despite the fact the two sides had a messy breakup more than a decade ago, Raptors president Masai Ujiri made it sound like the team hopes to bring him back eventually, while Carter has said he would like it if the franchise retired his jersey some day.
With the Sacramento Kings sitting at 18-39 on the year and in perfect position to tank, it doesn’t make much sense for them to keep Carter around. Carter is someone who deserves the opportunity to ring chase, and if it makes sense for both sides, he would be a great buyout candidate. Who knows if the Kings agree with that, but as a veteran on a team gunning for the most ping pong balls and playing time for young dudes, Carter doesn’t really fit in Sacramento.
Unfortunately, in the event that happens, Toronto reportedly has no interest in bringing him on board. That comes via Josh Lewenberg of TSN, who tweeted that despite some “internal debate,” the franchise has ultimately decided this isn’t the time for him to come back.
Still getting lots of questions about Vince Carter. As I reported last week, after some internal debate the Raptors have decided not to bring him back this season, even if he's made available. They're still open to it in the future but consensus was this isn't the right time.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 19, 2018
On the Jurassic Pod podcast, Lewenberg added to this, saying the team is legitimately interested in the idea — it made him an offer over the summer when he was a free agent, and they will not write it off as a move for next season. Additionally, he mentioned that the plan could change if he indeed hits the open market.
“But they’ve decided now is not the right time,” Lewenberg said. “I think the consensus seems to be there’s so much going on right now, and they want this season to be about this team, their accomplishments, and their playoff push, and not the sideshow that I think would come with a Vince Carter return.”
It makes sense that the Raptors would want to keep all their focus on this year’s team, as it has the potential to end up with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and is a legitimate threat to make it to the Finals. Bringing Carter on board midseason might not throw everything out of whack, but it would run the risk of being a distraction from what the team is accomplishing this season. While it would be cool to see him back in Toronto, this is probably the right decision for now.
