Toronto Raptors fans won’t enjoy another case of “Vinceanity”any time soon.
The Raptors no longer are considering signing Vince Carter this season if the Sacramento Kings buy out his contract, TSN’s Josh Lewenberg reported Monday via Twitter.
Still getting lots of questions about Vince Carter. As I reported last week, after some internal debate the Raptors have decided not to bring him back this season, even if he's made available. They're still open to it in the future but consensus was this isn't the right time.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 19, 2018
Toronto reportedly had targeted Carter as a potential option to bolster its roster ahead of the NBA Playoffs but now apparently has backed away from the idea of an emotional reunion with the veteran swingman.
The Raptors currently own the best record in the Eastern Conference and are in a race with the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the playoffs.
Lewenberg elaborated on his Carter report during his appearance on TSN’s “Jurassic Pod.”
“After speaking with a few team sources, I can confirm that they’ve had internal dialogue and debate about the idea of bringing Vince Carter back,” Lewenberg said, per NBC Sports. “It’s something that they wanted to do over the summer. That’s why they made him an offer, something that I’ve reported in the past. And it’s also something that they’d be open to in the future, perhaps next year in some capacity. But they’ve decided now is not the right time. And I think the consensus seems to be there’s so much going on right now, and they want this season to be about this team, their accomplishments and their playoff push and not the sideshow that I think would come with a Vince Carter return.”
The Raptors selected Carter with the fifth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, and he became a fan favorite through his overall play and highlight-reel dunks during his six-plus seasons with the team.
