The Toronto Raptors have decided to do without the services of Juancho Hernangómez, who joined the team in the summer of 2022 on a one-year contract. In his place, the Raptors have also signed forward Will Barton, 32, who is currently a free agent, and arrives in Toronto after playing his last season with the Washington Wizards.
Before the game against the Chicago Bulls, Raptors coach Nick Nurse said that Hernangómez had not met the goals set when they signed him, and made it clear what the Spaniard had not brought to the team when asked what he expected of Barton.
“Has there been something I haven't liked about him lately? The decision comes from his contractual situation. There were other players who had different contracts in place and we ended up making this decision. Juancho had some decent moments and we gave him pretty good chances and focus throughout the season. We want to keep a couple of the younger guys on the show and pay attention to them. It's simply a contractual matter," Nurse told Mundo Deportivo.
The Madrid player has played 42 games with the Toronto franchise, with an average of 2.9 points per game and 14.6 minutes. When the Raptors signed the Spaniard, they trusted him to contribute more points from the outside, especially triples. But Hernangómez has remained at a success rate from beyond the line of three of 15.8% with only 1.6 attempts per game.
Previously, Hernangómez played for the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz. This is the seventh season in the NBA of the youngest of the Hernangómez brothers.
The player declared at the beginning of February that he took the NBA transfer window philosophically, although he acknowledged the "tension" with which he lives the period. "Once you know this league and you've been traded a few times, you know it's a business. That if tomorrow you have to take your suitcase and leave, well, it's part of this turning wheel of the NBA. That everyone is practically insurmountable and that changes your life from one day to the next", he said then.
The Spaniard was not the only player who at the last moment was cut by his team and could not play today's game. Like the Raptors, who are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls moved thinking about the end of the regular season and got rid of the Slovenian Goran Dragic.
Now the man from Madrid is a free agent and can sign for any other team in the competition.
