Why the Toronto Raptors should sign Vince Carter if he gets bought out

Everyone loves a storybook ending. When a polarizing athlete that helped reveal the best-kept secret in a certain country gets traded, it is given that hearts get broken, eyes tear up and the anthem of boos surround the arena whenever he returns.

Nearly 14 years ago, the Toronto Raptors traded their franchise player Vince Carter to the New Jersey Nets for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and a pair of first-round picks which turned out to be Charlie Villanueva and Joey Graham.

It turned out to be a bad trade for the Raptors as they went on to miss the playoffs for the next two years. However, Toronto managed to recoil and transform themselves as one of the hottest franchises in the league finishing the 2015-2016 NBA playoffs two wins short of their first NBA finals appearance after losing to the eventual champions Cleveland Cavaliers.

This season, the Raptors are off to a great start again winning 38 of their first 54 games to rank second in the East just behind conference leaders Boston Celtics which sports a 40-16 (win-loss) slate and ahead of the struggling Cavaliers who holds a 31-22 card.

While Cleveland made some resounding moves in Thursday's trade deadline by acquiring guards Jordan Clarkson, George Hill, Rodney Hood, and forward Larry Nance, the Raptors managed to execute a minor trade by sending Bruno Caboclo to the Sacramento Kings for high-energy forward Malachi Richardson -- which left some Raptors fans who were hoping to land Carter, disappointed.

However, a report by SportsNet.ca's Michael Grange has suddenly turned the tide as the Raptors are exploring the possibility of bringing back the eight-time All-Star to Canada once he reaches a buyout agreement with the Kings.

According to the report, the feedback of possibly signing Vince Carter has generated positive views from veteran Raptors players with one of them expressing that anything that would make the team better is an upgrade.

Carter, 41, now on the twilight of his career may not be the player he once was but the former Slam Dunk king have shown some flashes of brilliance this season scoring 24 points in the Kings 109-95 win over Cavaliers last December. Carter follow-suited his spectacular game with a near double-double against Denver with 12 points and eight rebounds before scoring 21 in a losing effort against the San Antonio Spurs just last month.

While Carter might not be the exactly the one who will score 30 points a night for this Raptors squad, the Olympic gold-medalist can surely provide depth on the Raptors squad who needs to solidify their bench scoring to have a better chance against top-tier squads in the long run.

After all, as time passed, wounds have started to heal and it would be just rightful and just to let the man who put Toronto on the basketball map do what he failed to accomplish when he was young - to win a championship with the Raptors.