Toronto Raptors: The case for the roster to remain the same

TORONTO, CANADA -APRIL 17: DeMar DeRozan
TORONTO, CANADA -APRIL 17: DeMar DeRozan

After another disappointing postseason, its tempting to blow up the Toronto Raptors current core. However, the team needs to stay patient and bring the current roster back.

Please note: This is part of a two-part series discussing the two different options for the Raptors this offseason. Please also read the argument to “blow up”  the Raptors’ current core. 

"Bad thingsIt’s a lot of bad thingsThat they wishin’ and wishin’ and wishin’ and wishin’They wishin’ on me"

The lyrics to Drake’s song, “God’s Plan” echoed throughout the Quicken Loans Arena while the Toronto Raptors watched helplessly as their season came to an end with another depressing sweep to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Even before they lost the series, critics quickly called out the team’s core, most specifically head coach Dwane Casey and star players DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.

Casey was just named the NBCA Coach of the Year after leading Toronto to their best record in franchise history.

But that didn’t save him from being fired just two days later.

Ujiri needed to make a move, but removing Casey as the head coach could be a huge mistake and hopefully trading Lowry and/or DeRozan isn’t next. Emotions are high, but give it time and people will come to realize destroying the Raptors core could be a terrible mistake.

The Core is Virtually Unmoveable

Raptors fans dream of trade scenarios for Lowry or DeRozan but their gigantic contracts would make any general manager run for the hills. Lowry is set to make $31 million in 2019, DeRozan at $27.7 million, and Serge Ibaka at  $21 million, per Hoopshype. Lowry and Ibaka have two more years left and DeRozan has three.

These are huge salaries and the team making the investment would need to integrate them into their teams not just as a role player but as a key piece. Therein lies the second issue.

Kyle Lowry

Lowry is a top-ten point guard and the best of the trio. In the playoffs, he averaged 17.4 points and 8.5 assists while shooting 50.8 percent. Solid numbers albeit they didn’t save the Raptors.

Most teams already have a point guard who is at least as good, if not better than Lowry while rebuilding teams like Sacramento and Chicago already have their point guards of the future.

Middling teams looking for a boost like the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs could be options but it’s unclear how much better Lowry makes them or if they are willing to offer key players.

DeMar DeRozan

DeRozan was at one point, an MVP-candidate. “Deebo” averaged 23 points in the regular season but went AWOL during the Cavaliers series averaging just 16.7 points with three consecutive games with the worst plus/minus rating.

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The four-time all-star can’t consistently hit threes or play lights out defence. Parlayed with his contract and poor playoff performances, this makes him undesirable to most NBA teams.

DeRozan is an odd-man out and becoming an all-star with his skillset is an anomaly but one that highlights his intense work ethic.

Not only will it prove difficult to find trading partners, but expecting fair value is about as distant of a dream as the Raptors making the NBA Finals with LeBron James in the same conference.

This is Still a Great Raptors Team

How quickly people forget about the Raptors’ historic run until they ran into LeBron’s walls. This team defeated the likes of the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics and were one win shy of 60.

The regular season matters. The Raptors got a horrible draw playing James in the second round but had they played another team and returned to the Conference Finals, people may have changed their tunes.

Lowry is solid floor general who is in his prime. He adds more than what statistics show and can be a capable defender especially thanks to his stocky build.

DeRozan, for all his limitations, has improved over the years. He has evolved from being a one-dimensional threat to having the deadliest mid-range game in the league.

Oh, and he’s slowly learning to hit threes.

The Raptors overachieved over the years as opposed to underachieving in the playoffs. And the team that eliminated them over the last three years just happened to be led by the greatest basketball player. The team has chemistry and the young core is only improving.

Switching Lowry and/or DeRozan for another all-star like a Paul George or Kawhi Leonard is just a fantasy and even if it happens, it doesn’t guarantee the Raptors even get better.

Take this disastrous playoff run as a learning lesson and stay the course. Let cooler heads prevail and wait as events unfold. Sometimes the best move a team can make is the one they don’t make.

Next: Raptors Roundtable: Season Wrap-Up

Please note: This is part of a two-part series discussing the two different options for the Raptors this offseason. Please also read the argument to “blow up”  the Raptors’ current core.