Written by Jon Krawczynski at NBA.com
Looking down the barrel of some significant luxury tax penalties, Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri is moving swiftly to get below the tax line while keeping his team competitive in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
Ujiri pulled off two trades in about 12 hours, sending veteran forward DeMarre Carroll to Brooklyn in a salary dump and landing C.J. Miles in a sign-and-trade with Indiana for Cory Joseph, three people with knowledge of the dealings told The Associated Press.
Indianapolis I just want to thank you for the love and support shown to me the past 3 years.. I am truly appreciative of every single cheer.
— C.J. Miles (@masfresco) July 9, 2017
The Raptors and Nets agreed to the Carroll deal late Saturday night, with Toronto sending a future first- and second-round pick to Brooklyn with Carroll and getting Justin Hamilton in return.
The deal allowed Toronto to offload Carroll’s remaining two years and $30 million from its books, which helped the Raptors dip below the punitive luxury tax line in a summer when they re-signed point guard Kyle Lowry to a three-year, $100 million deal.
Carroll was coming off a disappointing season in which he averaged 8.9 points on 34 percent shooting in 72 games. Still, his abilities as a defender and his veteran presence were important for a Raptors team that is trying to close the gap on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who swept Toronto out of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Playing for #Toronto & having an entire nation behind you is something very special…thank you #WeTheNorth!!! Nothing but love!!! 🇨🇦❤️👍 pic.twitter.com/iyf3g9lBX5
— DeMarre Carroll (@DeMarreCarroll1) July 9, 2017
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