Raptors core demands reconsideration & money
By Brian Boake
The Raptors want to be contenders for years to come, but that’s impossible without quality players. We’ve got a bunch now, and some will need raises.
“The only constant is change.” – attributed to Heraclitus, c. 500 BCE
In quick succession last month, Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri traded for Serge Ibaka, then P.J. Tucker. Those moves were applauded by almost everyone then, and continue to pay dividends. In fact, the acquisition of these two players has worked out so well that we must re-examine many of our assumptions about the team’s roster for next season and beyond.
I take the position that every team needs to identify its core players, then ensure those critical individuals have every reason to remain. Since the trades, I’ve changed my view of the Raptors core to include both Ibaka and Tucker. The incumbents are DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. Of those four, only DeRozan is under contract control beyond this season.
At this moment, I must remind myself of the NBA’s new reality. Ironically, the old saw “You can’t keep everyone” has never been more true. Bringing back the 3 who are able to walk will have enormous financial consequences. Have a look at this post from Bleacher Report for further speculation of the costs the Raptors might need to shoulder.
Read it and weep
Ibaka is receiving over $12 million in this, the last year of his contract. If Bismack Biyombo got $18M on average on a 4-year deal, isn’t Serge worth that much? One could easily argue he should get more. Lowry will certainly decline the final $12M on his deal. John Wall and Kyrie Irving are getting $18M in 2017-18. Is Kyle a lesser player? Maybe, but not by much.
Tucker is the cheapest of the three, because he’s the oldest and not a scorer. But he’s not that old (32 in May) or that bad a scorer (6.8 points PG), and has extreme value as a defender and rebounder. How about doubling his pay?
The back of the envelope calculations are starting to look downright scary. If Kyle, Serge and P.J. all return, you’re looking at $46M (18 + 18 +10). Now wrap in DeMar’s $28M, and you’re at $74M – for four players. Add in $30M already committed to Jonas Valanciunas and DeMarre Carroll, and we’re at $104M. The salary cap is projected to be $102M and the luxury tax limit is $122M. We’re already over the cap for 6 players.
Does Dwane Casey want Patrick Patterson back? Almost certainly, but 2-Pat will want a raise from his current $6M.
Still underpricing?
The flaw in the above numbers is obvious – they are quite likely too low. I can see someone waving a $21M offer sheet at Serge, and even more for Kyle. Mike Conley, Memphis’ point guard, will make over $27M next season. Who would you rather have, Conley or Lowry?
I don’t care about the money; it’s MLSE’s to pay. But waltzing into a board meeting to tell the suits “Guys, we need to spike our payroll from $108M to $160M or more. Are you OK with that?” might not be the easiest conversation ever.
Having laid out the problem, I’m obliged to offer a solution. I will, but not today. There are too many moving parts to consider for one post. We will be examining this matter over the next few months.