One of the pleasant surprises and stars of the 2016 playoffs was Bismack Biyombo. Already having a great first season in Toronto, the Raptors’ center exploded on the stage in front of a wider audience during the playoffs. Starting several huge games in place of the injured Jonas Valanciunas, Biyombo performed admirably, often playing the role of the best player on an inconsistent Raptors squad.
Biyombo chose a great time to showcase his abilities, as he is now able to opt out of his player option and receive a monumental pay raise. It’s unclear just how much Biyombo’s worth in the open market is, but some estimates have him at upwards of $15 million per year, a number that would have seemed crazy just a year ago. But with his play as both a reserve and a starter and the current salary cap state, it makes sense that the big man would command that sort of money.
The Raptors will find it difficult to sign their newfound gem in the frontcourt. They do not have his Bird Rights as he has only been with the team one season so they cannot go over the salary cap to retain him and also have to consider re-singing shooting guard DeMar DeRozan. All of that factors into a high likelihood that the center from Congo takes his talents elsewhere.
However, Bismack Biyombo is now expressing his desire to stay in Toronto after an immensely successful season that saw them take the Cavaliers to six games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Speaking on Canada’s 590 The Fan, Biyombo had the following to say when asked whether he would be willing to take a hometown discount (transcribed by Lakers Outsiders):
“Yeah, things can always be worked out. When the right moment comes, I say that to my people and I say that to Masai [Ujiri], when the right moment comes, we’ll be open to figure out something. At the end of the day, for me, I’m doing this for fun more than money. Money is great […] but at the same time it’s how much fun I’m going to have.”
Biyombo would be leaving a ton of money on the table if he does indeed decide to take a discount to stay in Toronto. However, he would be helping keep intact a roster and a team that, although flawed, was two wins away from reaching the Finals.
This will be an interesting summer for the Raptors and they may have some tough decisions to make. If Bismack Biyombo is truly willing to take a discount, however, he may have just made the Raptors’ jobs much easier.
