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Report: Biyombo to be patient with Raptors as they try to re-sign him

Nick Turchiaro / USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors have an intriguing summer ahead.

Even with the cap jumping to an unprecedented $94 million, the Raptors - with extensions set to kick in for Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross - are going to be virtually capped out if and when they re-sign DeMar DeRozan.

That leaves the fate of one crucial member of their franchise-best 2015-16 squad in limbo. Bismack Biyombo is due a massive raise after a breakout season as the Raptors' backup center - and for the bulk of the playoffs, their starter - but the team doesn't own his Bird rights, meaning they can't go over the cap to re-sign him.

With the annual value of his free-agent contract expected to come in north of $16 million, it's hard to see how the Raptors can retain him. Regardless, mutual interest is reportedly there, allowing for the possibility (however slight) that the sides find a way to work something out.

Biyombo has a "very real interest" in returning to Toronto, so much so that he's willing to be patient - even in the face of inevitable offers from other teams - as the Raptors figure out how to squeeze him into their loaded cap sheet, according to USA Today's Sam Amick.

Assuming they bring DeRozan back - which general manager Masai Ujiri has called the team's No. 1 offseason priority - the only conceivable way the Raptors can create the requisite space to accommodate Biyombo is by shedding a large salary, via trade or buyout. There isn't really a buyout candidate on the roster, so that leaves a trade as the lone realistic avenue to re-signing him.

They can try to move DeMarre Carroll (due just over $14 million in 2016-17), Valanciunas (ditto), or Ross ($10 million), but it would be difficult to get a return in such a deal that would make a minimal impact on the Raptors' cap, while simultaneously making the Biyombo endeavor worth their while.

Their other option is to re-sign Biyombo before DeRozan. DeRozan's cap hold comes in around $15 million, about $10 million shy of what he's expected to earn in the first year of his impending free-agent deal. The Raptors could use their cap space to sign Biyombo (which, to be clear, would still require Biyombo to take a massive discount), and then go over the cap to sign DeRozan, whose Bird rights they do own.

That route, however, would require considerable patience and trust on DeRozan's part, and with at least six other teams reportedly lining up to pitch him in free agency, that's a pretty big ask.

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