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The Toronto Raptors will be under new front office leadership soon following the departure of longtime executive Masai Ujiri. With the NBA free agency period coming up, the Raptors could potentially have three open roster spots to address. And it appears as if one of those potential contracts will go to veteran guard Garrett Temple.

The Raptors agreed in principle to a new contract with Garrett Temple worth about $3.6 million, as per Shams Charania of ESPN. While the NBA free agency period does not begin until Monday, June 30, teams can already agree in principle to new deals with their own free agents following the conclusion of the NBA Finals.

Another potential target in free agency for the Raptors is former No. 1 pick Ben Simmons. Simmons is an unrestricted free agent after finishing last season with the LA Clippers.

For Temple, this will be his third consecutive season with the Raptors. At this point in his career, the value that Temple brings to a team is more so for his locker room presence than on the court.

This past season, he appeared in 28 games for the Raptors at a little over eight minutes per game. He averaged 1.9 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists with splits of 30 percent shooting from the field, 21.4 percent shooting from the three-point line and 91.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Temple’s stint with the Raptors began when he signed a free agent contract with the team ahead of the 2023-24 season. He re-signed last offseason on another one-year deal. For a team that has quite a bit of young, inexperienced talent, Temple is a good veteran mentor to have around.

His story is an inspiring one as well. Temple went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft, and began his career in the G League. His early experience in the league from 2009-2011 came in the form of 10-day contracts. It wasn’t until the 2012-13 season when he earned a standard contract with the Washington Wizards. This will be  Temple’s 16th season in the NBA.