Since the Toronto Raptors re-signed point guard Kyle Lowry to a three-year, $100 million contract, general manager Masai Ujiri was forced to make a couple of moves in order to get below the tax line in order to avoid substantial luxury tax penalties.First, he sent defensive-minded small forward DeMarre Carroll to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for center Justin Hamilton, who was waived shortly after the trade went through. In addition to Carroll, Toronto sent a 2018 first-round pick and 2018 second-round pick in order for Brooklyn to agree to take on the two years and $30 million left on Carroll’s contract.Less than a day later, Ujiri landed C.J. Miles in a sign-and-trade with the Indiana Pacers in exchange for point guard Cory Joseph, who played a prominent role for the Raptors when Lowry was injured last season.Miles agreed to a three-year, $25 million term before the trade was finalized, which makes him an affordable replacement for Carroll. Last season, Miles proved to be one of the most effective wing reserves in the NBA, averaging 10.7 points on 41.3 percent shooting from three over 23.4 minutes per contest.In many ways, he is a completely different type of player than Carroll, as his offensive game is much more developed. In particular, his outside shooting ability will likely be a boost on a team that ranked 13th in the NBA with a 36.3 percent mark from beyond the arc last year.It’s worth noting that Toronto only made 8.8 threes per game last season, which ranked 21st in the Association. From that perspective, especially alongside Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who will command a lot of attention, Miles might find himself in a very favorable situation.As you might have noticed, the NBA is becoming more and more centered around knocking down long-range shots. Therefore, Miles may be a veteran, but his game translates well to the way in which the league is evolving.After the trade went through, he thanked the fans in Indiana for showing him love over the years.

While Joseph played an important role as the team’s sixth man over the last two seasons, adding 9.2 points and 3.3 assists in 25.0 minutes off the bench last year, the presence of young backup guards Delon Wright and Norman Powell made Joseph expendable, as he is entering the third year of a four-year, $29.89 million deal.

The move also makes a ton of sense for the rebuilding Pacers. After dealing star Paul George and losing point guard Jeff Teague via free agency, Joseph might find himself in the starting lineup when the season tips off.