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The Toronto Raptors announced Tuesday they have extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent guard-forward Carlos Delfino. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.
In accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its rights of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent it must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal in favour of the NBA team for which the player last played.
Delfino played last season in Russia with BC Khimky Moscow in the Russia-A Superleague. He averaged 10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 23.2 minutes in 26 games. He had a season-high 25 points against Krasnoyarsk. He also appeared in 10 Eurocup outings, averaging 13.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in 27 minutes. He scored in double figures in eight games with a high of 19 points against Benetton.
The Raptors acquired Delfino from the Detroit Pistons on June 15, 2007 in exchange for a second-round pick in 2009 and 2010. He appeared in all 82 games in his lone season with the Raptors (2007-08), averaging 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. He set career highs in points (738), rebounds (359), three-point field goals made (40) and attempted (123), free throws made (116) and attempted (156) and minutes (1928). He paced the reserves in scoring a team-best 31 times and scored in double figures a career-high 32 times, with five games of 20 or more points.
A first-round pick by Detroit (25th overall) in 2003, Delfino has averaged 5.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 282 regular season NBA games. He also played four seasons in Italy, two with Reggio Calabria (2000-02) and two with Skipper Bologna (2002-04). He has won an Olympic gold medal (2004) and a bronze medal (2008) as a member of the Argentina National Team.
