Raptors to release Dwight Buycks

The Toronto Raptors will release point guard Dwight Buycks before his 2014-15 salary becomes fully guaranteed on July 22, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. The move frees up a roster spot after the recent addition of high-flying swingman James Johnson.

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Buycks, 25, was set to make $816,482 next season as part of a two-year deal he signed with Toronto last summer. The Raptors are set at point guard, however, after agreeing to re-sign Kyle Lowry and Greivis Vasquez this offseason, leaving the team without much need for Buycks on the roster.

One of the big stars of Las Vegas Summer League the past two years, Buycks brings some serious scoring chops to the table. He’s the Raptors’ leading scorer in Vegas this year at 19.7 points per game, although he found himself on the bench Friday as the team apparently moved towards parting ways with him.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Marquette, Buycks appeared in 14 games with the Raptors last season. He averaged 3.1 points and 1.6 assists over 10.4 minutes per game, but did little to help his reputation as a scorer by shooting 31 percent from the field.

The Raptors also officially announced the signing of Johnson on Friday, putting the team at 14 players on guaranteed contracts for next season. Retaining Buycks would have left Toronto without any remaining roster spots, and the team presumably preferred to retain some flexibility rather than commit its final opening to an unneeded third point guard.

Buycks now becomes an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team. Given his solid performance in Vegas, we’ll see if any team is willing to give him a shot.

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