Nigel Hayes waived by the Raptors

After signing a pair of 10-day contracts with the Toronto Raptors, Indiana product Nigel Hayes was waived today.

NBA rules dictate that a player can only be signed to two 10-day contracts in a season (after January 5), and the Raptors picked up Hayes to fill their vacant 15th roster spot. Today was decision-time, as Toronto either had to commit to Hayes for the rest of the season, or fill the roster spot down the road with another 10-day contract or one of their G-League two-way contracts (Malcolm Miller, Lorenzo Brown). They opted for the latter route.

Hayes was tough to read in just 20 days, but showed some positive signs for the Raptors. He was 3-for-5 from three in just 17 minutes played, which puts him in rare air statistics-wise.

For the Raptors, it’ll be more of what we’ve seen in the short-term — playing time for Malcolm Miller and Lorenzo Brown if needed, and the usual ten-man rotation if injuries don’t become a bigger factor. One conclusion we can come to: Hayes looked good, and Toronto has plenty of options for filling out the back end of their roster come playoff time.