Barring any unexpected last-minute snags, the Raptors are poised to announce today it has signed point guard T.J. Ford to a contract extension that guarantees the 23-year-old will be able to join 22-year-old Chris Bosh and 21-year-old Andrea Bargnani as the cornerstones of the franchise for at least the next four years.

According to league and team sources, Ford will get a deal similar to the extension Bosh signed this summer: three years with an option on a fourth that kicks in starting with the 2007-08 season. Ford will earn between $8 million and $9 million (all figures U.S.) annually, putting him among the top third of NBA point guards in salary.

"We've got a lot of young, good players and you want to have those guys together so they can grow together and get better," Toronto coach Sam Mitchell said yesterday.

"I think it's important for (Ford) and the organization. It shows him the organization is committed to him. He said all along once we made the trade for him that he wanted to be here.

"That's the thing Bryan (Colangelo) and I talked about ... everybody on the roster wants to be here. It's just another sign that we don't get other people's castaways now, we aren't other people's last choices."

Via Toronto Star

Toronto Raptors

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