Toronto Raptors Off-Season Questions
The Toronto Raptors have just gone through their most successful season in team history. They had a team record 56 wins, 2 All-Stars, a great showcase of the city with All-Star Weekend, and they exceeded all playoff expectations by taking the overwhelming favorite Cleveland Cavaliers to a 6 game series.
But now that the series is over and it's a few week into their off-season, it's time to take a look ahead to what should be a very eventful off-season for these Toronto Raptors. They've gotten their first piece of business done by signing head coach Dwane Casey to a new 3 year deal, but DeMar DeRozan is a free agent, as well as fan favorite and playoff star Bismack Biyombo, they have the #9 pick in the NBA Draft thanks to the New York Knicks.
In this post I'll go over the top 5 questions I think the Raptors need to ask themselves this off-season, and give my own thoughts/predictions on what they should do. (Below is the Raptors salary cap situation when free agency starts July 1st)
DeRozan is expected to resign with the Raptors on a max deal this summer
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
1. Is DeMar DeRozan Worth the Max?
Quick answer to this question. Absolutely he's worth the max to this team. He's pretty much an enemy of the analytics community because of the amount of mid-range shots he takes, but this year he improved almost every facet of his game. He was 3rd in the league in free throws made and attempted, he was much improved defensively, and he had the highest assist rate of his career. Anyone that has seen DeMar knows that he works insanely hard on his craft and I'd expect him to continue to get better. Put that with the fact that if they let him walk that they wouldn't have the cap room to replace him with equal value, and they can't afford to take that big a step back after having the best season in franchise history. Also, DeMar has made it clear (in the media) that he expects to resign with Toronto as well.
After breaking out in the playoffs, Biyombo could command a contract worth $18 million per season
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
2. Can you afford to bring back Bismack Biyombo?
In the post season media availability sessions Biyombo expressed his desire to stay in Toronto past this season, even going as far to say that he'd be willing to take a discount to stay with the team. He officially opted out of his $2.8M player option for next season (as expected), and with the playoffs he had he's expected to get anywhere from $15-$18 million per season, and for him to resign with the Raptors he'd have to take a paycut to get him no higher than $12 million per year. So to put it bluntly, I do not expect him to be back in Toronto next season. Not when he can make a lot more money somewhere else, while also getting the opportunity to start.
Domantas Sabonis (F/C - Gonzaga) is the son of former NBA great, and Lithuanian legend Arvydas Sabonis
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
3. What to do with the 9th pick?
Past the top 2 picks this draft can go in any direction, and at the 9th pick the Raptors aren't expected to be able to take a player that can contribute right away. The top prospects that are being thrown around at that spot are Henry Ellenson (F - Marquette), Domantas Sabonis (F/C - Gonzaga), Jakob Poeltl (C - Utah), and potentially Skal Labissiere (F - Kentucky), and none of those players are going to make a significant impact on a Raptors team that's going to be expected to get back to the conference finals. If it were up to me, I'd try to trade the pick, but that'll be easier said than done in a weak draft year.
Terrence Ross' 3 year $33 million deal kicks in when free agency starts July 1st
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
4. Do you trade Terrence Ross?
Ross has always been a lightning rod of criticism from Raptors fans and for good reason. He's got all the athletic talent in the world but uses it in frustrating ways. Can leap out of the gym and shoot at an amazing clip when he's locked in, but those moments come inconsistently. With a $33 million contract extension kicking in this summer and Ross finally showing up in the playoffs, he becomes an interesting trade piece if the Raptors decide to make a big splash. It can also be viewed that with the emergence of rookie guard Norman Powell late in the season, he could have made Ross expendable. Do I think Ross gets moved? Only if it's part of a package that gets a star in return.
The teams expected to go after Durant this summer are: WAS, MIA, TOR, GSW, SAS, LAL, and NYK.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
5. Is now the time to swing for the fences?
The Raptors just had the most successful season in franchise history, Kyle Lowry is 30 years old now and is heading into the final year of his deal, they're likely going to be resigning DeRozan for max money and can't afford to take a step backwards after last season. So in short, yes they should swing for the fences. But what does that mean? They're expected to make a push for Kevin Durant but that doesn't look like it's financially possible without a few trades along with DeMar taking a pretty big paycut. GM Masai Ujiri has had an interest in the past few years for fellow free agent Nic Batum, but he could end up getting a close to max deal to stay in Charlotte. They need to upgrade the power forward position, but it doesn't look like they'll be in the running for an Al Horford or Pau Gasol, and Ryan Anderson wouldn't exactly be a great fit with the program Dwane Casey is trying to run. The Raptors would love to take advantage of this current success, but it doesn't look like they'll have the financial means to accomplish it.
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