Hawks' free agent wing Carroll agrees to deal with Raptors

For the first time in his career, 28-year-old forward DeMarre Carroll entered free agency with leverage. On Wednesday, he took advantage of the situation, agreeing to terms on a lucrative deal with the Toronto Raptors on the first day of free agency.

Carroll and the Raptors reportedly agreed to a four-year, $60 million deal. The contract will make him Toronto's highest-paid player.

The deal cannot be finalized until the NBA ends its free-agent moratorium on July 9.

Carroll was one the NBA's biggest bargain contracts after signing a $5 million deal with the Hawks two years ago, but he blossomed into one of the league's premier "3-and-D" wings, shooting 39.5 percent from the outside while guarding the opposing team's top perimeter player. He averaged 12.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in a contract year last season.

Atlanta was in a difficult position to retain both Carroll and free agent All-Star forward Paul Millsap, needing to jump through some significant cap-related hoops for an opportunity to re-sign both starters. Instead, the Hawks' out-bid the Orlando Magic for Millsap's services -- agreeing to a reported three-year, $58.9 million deal -- and bulked up in the frontcourt by trading for Tiago Splitter. That left zero room on the books for Carroll, especially at $15 million annually.

With Carroll in Toronto, the Hawks will likely lean on Thabo Sefolosha to hold down a spot in the starting lineup. Sefolosha was excellent in a reserve role for Atlanta last season before suffering a season-ending leg injury while being arrested in New York City. The Hawks added additional perimeter depth behind Sefolosha, Kyle Korver and Kent Bazemore in a draft-day trade with the Knicks for Tim Hardaway Jr.

Carroll joins the Raptors' athletic perimeter mix that includes DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross.