The Toronto Raptors have re-signed forward Ron Harper Jr. to a two-way contract, according to Drew Gross of Roc Nation Sports. Harper Jr., 23, went undrafted out of Rutgers University in 2022. Last July, he signed a two-way contract with Toronto.
Harper Jr. is the son of former Cleveland Cavaliers combo guard Ron Harper Sr., who was also a part of the 1990s Chicago Bulls championship teams with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Harper Sr. won five NBA championships (1996-98, 2000, 2001) in his 15-year career.
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Forward Ron Harper Jr., has agreed on a new two-way contract to the return to the Toronto Raptors, Drew Gross of @rocnationsports tells ESPN. Harper Jr., averaged 17 points and five rebounds in his rookie season with the Raptors’ G League affiliate.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 20, 2023
Raptors senior basketball advisor Wayne Embry was involved in both signing Ron Harper Jr. and drafting his father, Ron Harper Sr., in the 1986 NBA Draft. Harper Sr. was selected eighth overall by Cleveland. Embry has served as the organization’s senior basketball advisor since 2004.
In nine games off the bench with the Raptors in the 2022-23 season, the rookie forward averaged 2.2 points and 5.3 minutes per game while shooting 50% from the floor and 33.3% beyond the arc. The 6-foot-5 wing logged a true shooting percentage of 65.2% as well.
Toronto Raptors re-sign forward Ron Harper Jr. to a two-way contract; the undrafted wing joins fellow two-way signee Markquis Nowell
Additionally, in Toronto’s 121-105 regular-season finale win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Apr. 9, the former Scarlet Knight recorded a career-high 10 points, four rebounds, and one assist in 23 minutes off the bench. He finished 4-of-6 (66.7%) shooting from the field and knocked down a 3-pointer.
Harper Jr. made 27 starts in 30 appearances with the Raptors 905, Toronto’s G-League affiliate. The New Jersey native averaged 16.7 points, 5.1 boards, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steal, 1.2 blocks, and 31.6 minutes per game. His 7-foot-1 wingspan gives him defensive potential.
He finished 10th in the Showcase Cup in blocks (21), fourth in block percentage (3.9%), and fifth in turnover percentage (7.8%). In June 2023, the Raptors extended Harper Jr.’s $1.8 million qualifying offer, allowing him to become a restricted free agent.
RON HARPER JR. GETS UP 🤯
The Raptors guard with a strong jam at the rim!#NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/Vqady9aXpQ
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2023
During the 2023 NBA 2K23 Summer League, the forward averaged 12 points, 4.5 boards, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal, and 29.1 minutes per game in four outings. Harper Jr. also shot 34.9% from the field and 93.8% at the foul line. He executed a successful one-handed dunk late in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s 94-90 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Moreover, point guard Marquis Nowell is one of the other two-way signees on the Raptors.
Under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, the maximum number of two-way players per team increased from two to three. Two-way salaries do not count against a team’s total cap or tax allocations. Two-way deals can still be converted into standard contracts.
