Toronto Raptors: Five moves the Raptors should make this off-season
By Jason Mills
The 2020 NBA Playoffs came to an end for the Toronto Raptors in a seven games series loss to the Boston Celtics. Now, the Toronto Raptors have several roster adjustments to consider, and here is a look at five moves the team should make this off-season.
2020 did not end as well as 2019 did for the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors fell nine wins short of their 2019 success this season. What that ultimately means is that the 2020 roster minus Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green is competitive and good enough to challenge the best teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. However, the team was flawed and will need to be tweaked.
It does not mean that general manager Bobby Webster and president Masai Ujiri need to revamp, blowup, or completely remake the roster. The management team has kept the Toronto Raptors competitive for seven consecutive seasons, and there is no reason this run of success cannot extend to eight.
There are several contractual decisions such as Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol, Fred Vanvleet, and Rondae Hollis Jefferson that might be harder to manage in this off-season. The NBA salary cap may dwindle league-wide because of financial losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a 29th overall draft pick that could be swapped for a future choice to save cap space or package with other draft picks and players to upgrade the roster talent.
Masai Ujiri has repeatedly proven that these tough choices do not scare him, and he usually makes the correct decisions. From that standpoint, the Raptors are in good hands, but Masai Ujiri has not discussed an extension to his contract that runs out next season.
Despite the uncertainty with the roster and management, the five moves the Toronto Raptors should make this off-season are: