Raps Iron Man Peterson Likely To Sign Elsewhere

The longest-serving Toronto Raptor will most likely be serving elsewhere next season. Free agent forward Morris Peterson was scheduled to meet with the Utah Jazz Monday for what most expect will be one a few visits that lead to the 29-year-old swingman’s departure from Toronto.

“I’m going to their facility (Monday morning) to talk with ownership, general manager Kevin O’Connor and people on the coaching staff and in the front office,” Peterson said. “Since I have some control as a free agent, I really want to play with a winner, like the Jazz, and with a team that believes in me.”

Peterson, who turns 30 next month, said Detroit, New Jersey, Cleveland, New Orleans, Miami and Toronto have expressed an interest in him, but the Raptors have been active this off-season adding redundancies in small forward Carlos Delfino and three-point specialist Jason Kapono.

Though Peterson’s spent his entire seven-season career with the Raptors and is the all-time leader in multiple categories including at one time being the league’s leader in consecutive games played, he’s coming off a down season and likely no longer fits into the plans of general manger Bryan Colangelo.

After helping Michigan State win the 2000 national championship, the Flint, Mich. native was drafted 21st overall by the Raptors. As a restricted free agent in 2004, the New Orleans Hornets signed Peterson to a $15-million, three-year offer sheet, but Toronto later retained him by matching the deal.

As an unrestricted free agent this time around, Peterson will likely wind up with a mid-level exception that could pay as much as $6 million a year, though his ability to draw offensive fouls, hit unlikely threes and often make at least one circus shot a game will certainly missed by longtime Raptors fans.

Photo courtesy Getty Images/David Abel