Toronto is betting on the guard who never missed a game last season, and the new deal keeps him around for years.
Three years and $24 million is the price the Toronto Raptors are paying to keep point guard Jamal Shead in the fold.
Shead agreed to the extension on Thursday, according to his agent, KJ Smith, who shared the news with ESPN's Shams Charania.
The new deal keeps Shead under contract through the 2029-30 season, and it will kick in next July.
He is set to make $2,296,271 this season in the final year of his rookie contract, and without an extension, he would have been a restricted free agent next summer.
Why Toronto Made This Move
Shead has come a long way from being the 45th pick in the 2024 draft.
The Sacramento Kings took him and traded him to Toronto the next day, and he has turned into one of the most reliable players on the roster since then.
Last season, Shead played in all 82 games, one of just 18 players in the league to do that.
He averaged 6.6 points and 5.4 assists in 22.6 minutes and made 12 starts, and he finished with the most assists off the bench in the NBA, according to the report on the deal.
He also ranked fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio, per the same report.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic praised his durability back in April, right after that 82-game season wrapped up.
"He's a very durable player and winning player. I love it for him," Rajakovic said at the time.
A Fair Price for a Steady Guard
This is a smart deal for both sides.
Shead gets real money after playing on a small rookie deal, and the Raptors keep a guard who runs the second unit and stays on the floor at a price that will not hurt much.
The front office already showed its faith in him when it picked up his team option in June, so this extension is the next logical step.
Shead also proved he can handle a bigger role.
With starting point guard Immanuel Quickley hurt in the playoffs, Shead made four starts in seven games and averaged 9.0 points and 5.0 assists.
Toronto lost that first-round series to Cleveland 4-3, but Shead showed he was ready for those minutes.
His shooting is still the part of his game that needs work, since he made just 32.1% of his threes last season, and a jump there would make this deal look even better.
He does not need to become a star, but defenses will have to respect him more if the shot comes around.
Watch that number this season.
What Comes Next
The Raptors have put a lot of money into their roster recently, including forward Kawhi Leonard's new extension.
Shead's deal is much smaller, and it is a much safer bet.
It also locks in a key part of the bench depth the team will lean on all season.
Toronto opens the preseason against the Miami Heat on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, and starts the regular season at home against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
If that three-point number climbs, $8 million a year will look like a bargain by the time the new deal kicks in.
