Report: Raptors Signing Nik Stauskas as COVID Replacement Player

Nik Stauskas is coming home.

The Toronto Raptors have reportedly agreed to terms with the 28-year-old Canadian sharpshooter as part of the NBA's new COVID-19 program, according to Substack's Marc Stein.

Toronto is calling up Nik Stauskas of @NBAGrandRapids from the @nbagleague, league sources say.

More NBA from me: https://t.co/LGN9cV7Dif
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) December 20, 2021

The former eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft played in 335 NBA games between 2014 and 2019, averaging 6.8 points and shooting 35.3% from behind the arc. He spent all of last season in the G League Bubble with the Raptors 905, averaging 18.1 points, 3.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and shooting 36.8% from three-point range.

More recently, the 6-foot-6 Stauskas has played in 12 games with the Grand Rapids Gold, averaging 21.3 points, 4.4 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and shooting 35.2% from behind the arc.

Stauskas joins Juwan Morgan and Brandon Goodwin who also signed 10-day deals with the Raptors to replace Pascal Siakam, Dalano Banton, and Gary Trent Jr. who are all in the NBA's COVID-19 Health & Safety protocols and expected to miss the next few games.

The three signings will not count toward Toronto's luxury tax bill, per the NBA's new COVID-19 protocols. The Raptors had been right up against the luxury tax threshold but the new rules have allowed teams to sign COVID-19 replacement players without the salary counting toward the cap.

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