Kofi Inkoom
The Toronto Raptors are releasing forward Sasha Vezenkov and guard Javon Freeman-Liberty. With these moves, the Raptors now have 14 players on guaranteed contracts and about $11 million below the luxury tax threshold.
Vezenkov, who was the EuroLeague MVP in 2023, signed a three-year deal with the Kings last summer.
However, his NBA rookie season was underwhelming, as he averaged 12.2 minutes per game in 42 appearances off the bench, with averages of 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, shooting 44% from the field, 37.5% from three, and 80% from the free-throw line.
He turns 29 next month and was traded from Sacramento to Toronto in June, along with Davion Mitchell, in a deal to create cap space for the Kings.
There were reports around the time of the trade that Vezenkov had agreed to return to his former team, Olympiacos in Greece, on a lucrative long-term deal.
However, he remained under contract with the Raptors, with a guaranteed salary of $6.7 million for the 2024/25 season and a team option for 2025/26.
By releasing Vezenkov, the Raptors allow him to rejoin Olympiacos once he clears waivers and save significant cap space. Vezenkov agreed to give up his entire $6.7 million salary for the 2024/25 season to facilitate the buyout, leaving no dead money on Toronto’s books.
Freeman-Liberty spent most of last season on a two-way contract with the Raptors before being promoted to the standard roster on March 1. He played in 22 games as a rookie, averaging 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.3 minutes per game.
His minimum-salary contract for 2024/25 had only a small partial guarantee, which would have increased from $100,000 to $150,000 if he had stayed on the roster through July 23. Raptors will have $100,000 in dead money after waiving the 24-year-old.