Raptors Waive Freddie Gillespie & Reggie Perry

This is the part of the preseason that really sucks.

When Freddie Gillespie first joined the Toronto Raptors late last season he was a breath of fresh air. The Raptors were desperate for a big and not only was his size useful at times, but he brought a positive vibe to a team headed for its worst season in a decade. That rendition of Party In the USA or his hilarious media availabilities were crucial to a team devoid of seemingly any fun.

Unfortunately, a disappointing Summer League and lackluster preseason marked the end of Gillespie's Toronto tenure as the organization decided to waive him and Reggie Perry on Wednesday, the team announced.

Things went downhill in a hurry for Gillespie who shot just 5-for-22 in Summer League and 2-for-6 from the field in the preseason. He never seemed to be able to handle the ball close to the rim and repeatedly muffed point-blank opportunities.

The 21-year-old Perry is expected to be Raptors 905 bound, according to Sportsnet's Blake Murphy. He didn't do very much in the preseason, playing just 14 minutes total across two games, but there's always an opportunity to develop with the 905 and re-join the big club at some point down the road.

With Gillespie and Perry's departure, Toronto's roster now sits at 18 with one more cut yet to be made. Isaac Bonga, the favorite for one of the two remaining spots, Sam Dekker, and Ishmail Wainright are all vying to make the roster. 

"I think that there wasn't a whole lot of separation. I think that there are guys there that have all done a pretty good job and worked really hard and you could make a case for any of them, you're really could. It's a difficult decision," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said following the final preseason game. "There's not a whole lot of clear cut. It's gonna be what do we think we're going to do positionally more than anything, but we'll kick it around and we'll figure it out over the next couple of days."