Music: {allcanada} Raptors bolster D with signing of Carroll

TORONTO - It took less than 12 hours into free agency for Masai Ujiri to get his man.

Shortly after sitting down with the Raptors early Wednesday morning, his first of several scheduled meetings, forward DeMarre Carroll agreed to a four-year, $60-million deal with Toronto, according to multiple reports.

Looking to reshape his roster after the Raptors were swept from the opening round of the playoffs, Ujiri has been targeting two-way players. The former Atlanta Hawk fits the bill and is a player Toronto has long coveted.

Just finding his niche in the NBA, the 28-year-old Carroll broke through with the first-place Hawks last season, averaging 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 70 games.

Carroll immediately becomes the team's most skilled individual defender. Considered one of the league's premier stoppers at his position, the 6-foot-8 forward will be tasked with guarding the opposition's top scorer on the wing each night. Toronto's defence, ranked 10th in 2013-14, fell to 23rd last season. Rediscovering their identity on that end of the floor has been made a priority this summer.

Ujiri, then with the Denver Nuggets, brought Carroll in on a minimum salary back in 2011 before letting him go a few months later. The six-year veteran has always been a standout on the defensive end, but expanded his offensive game with Utah and Atlanta over the past three seasons.

Carroll shot an efficient 49 per cent from the field and an impressive 40 per cent from three-point range last season. After helping to lead the 60-win Hawks past the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, Carroll struggled playing through a knee injury in their Eastern Conference Finals defeat to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

There was no structural damage to the knee and he is expected to be fully recovered by the time the Raptors reconvene for training camp in October.

Selected with the 27th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009, Carroll has earned less than $8 million total throughout his first six years in the league. He will make $15 million annually over the next four. While the price tag may seem steep, it's the going rate for two-way wing players of Carroll's calibre with the salary cap set to skyrocket next summer. Although Carroll becomes Toronto's highest paid player, his contract - barring injury - could look like a bargain once the TV money hits in the years to come.

Not only should Carroll help bolster Toronto's ailing defence, but the hope is he'll also solidify the small forward position, which has been a revolving door for the Raptors over the last decade. Carroll is slated to become the team's 12th different opening-night starting small forward in 12 years, pushing the incumbent Terrence Ross to the bench, unless he is traded.

The Raptors were scheduled to meet with free-agent forward LaMarcus Aldridge later on Wednesday but having always been considered a long shot in that race. With the San Antonio Spurs closing in on the four-time all-star, the Raptors turned their focus on Carroll, who broke the signing on Twitter and Instagram.

"I will be playing for [the] Toronto Raptors next year!!!! I'm blessed for this opportunity! #WeTheNorth," Carroll tweeted along with a picture of him, his family, Ujiri, head coach Dwane Casey and VP of basketball operations Jeff Weltman.

The signing cannot be made official until the league's moratorium period is lifted on July 9.
Following last week's trade of Greivis Vasquez - freeing up over $6 million in cap space - and the acquisition of Luke Ridnour's non-guaranteed deal, Toronto should have roughly $8 million to spend after locking up Carroll.

The team still needs to address the starting power forward position and add another guard or two to come off the bench. They still haven't ruled out bringing back Sixth Man Award winner Lou Williams and long-time Raptor Amir Johnson, both unrestricted free agents.

Ujiri is far from finished remaking his roster but the addition of Carroll, along with Delon Wright - the 20th overall pick in last week's draft - should keep the Raptors in a comfortable position among the top teams in the Eastern Conference.