The Toronto Raptors will likely end up without playoff basketball for the first season in nearly a decade. For every success story, like Malachi Flynn emerging as a stud and the acquisition of Gary Trent Jr. at the deadline, Toronto had to watch the likes of Stanley Johnson and Aron Baynes eat up big minutes in an already cursed season.
Playing a season in Tampa amid the COVID-19 pandemic already started the Raptors off on the wrong foot, and the losses of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka forced the Raptors to hastily construct this subpar roster. Luckily, Masai Ujiri will get a chance to remake the roster in the offseason, which means that some members of this team will not return.
Several players will be cut loose this offseason as Ujiri looks to get the Raptors in a better spot both financially and competitively. This season will have consequences, however, as some of these prospective free agents will lose plenty of money in their next contracts.
These 3 players spit the bit this season to varying degrees, and it could hurt them when the offseason roles around and they look to continue their NBA journey.
Well, that was quite something, and kind of like the whole season's been
— Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) May 7, 2021
Good game, really close, played their guts out, didn't win
Wizards 131, Raptors 129
These 3 Toronto Raptors hurt their contract value.
No. 1: SF Stanley Johnson
A former lottery pick who flunked out with the Detroit Pistons, Johnson played well enough in 2019-20 to earn another contract with Toronto. While he has started 56 games this season, those starts are out of necessity instead of merit, and he has been extremely poor at times this season on offense.
Johnson is scoring just 3.3 points per game and is making just 37% of the shots. In just shy of 30 minutes against the Washington Wizards, Johnson recorded a whopping ZERO points. Essentially, the Raptors are playing 4-on-5 whenever Johnson is in the game. All of the goodwill he engendered has slipped away.
Stanley Johnson is struggling to stick with the Toronto Raptors.
Johnson is still getting NBA chances because there is the potential that he could become a quality stretch four due to his size and defensive hustle. Unfortunately, despite being given plenty of opportunities to right that worrying trend, Johnson has fallen flat on his face, and his NBA future is in doubt.
Johnson has been coasting on his status as a lottery pick, as his production has not warranted getting a chance like this with Toronto. With Johnson having failed to live up to expectations in Detroit, barely getting on the floor in New Orleans, and having blown his golden ticket in Toronto, Johnson might need to look elsewhere to extend his basketball career.
No. 2: C Aron Baynes
We all know the story by now. After a solid season in Phoenix, Baynes and Alex Len were brought to Toronto in order to become the starting center. Baynes has not only disappointed, but he’s become so bad that the Raptors have completely excommunicated him, as he has barely seen the floor over the last month.
Baynes is averaging 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and his shooting averages of 43% from the floor and 22% from 3-point range are the worst marks he’s put up in the last three seasons. Khem Birch came to Toronto after rotting on the bench in Orlando, and he’s immediately become a double-double machine.
Aron Baynes might find it hard to stick in the NBA after 2020-21.
The fact that Birch has immediately become a stud makes Baynes’ performance even more shockingly poor. While Baynes has an option for next season, the chance that he actually returns next season is about the same chance that I have at getting a date with Charlize Theron. Don’t pick up your No. 46 jerseys.
Baynes turned 34 just before the season, and a center that can’t rebound or finish inside at that age has minimal positive value for a prospective team. Heading back to a native Australia might be a better option for him, as his value is at an all-time low. In the simplest of terms, he didn’t play up to the level that the Raptors expected out of him.
No. 3: PG Kyle Lowry
Lowry’s stats this year are as excellent as ever, as the 35-year-old is averaging 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per contest. While Lowry will get a bag at some point in the offseason, likely from a contending team, his next deal will be WELL short of the $30 million he is making with Toronto this season.
Lowry has played in just 46 games this season, with a foot infection and pre-determined rest serving as a few of the myriad amount of reasons that he has missed games. Lowry’s second contract will not only be much less than what his final Raptors contract looks like, but it might only be a one-year deal, as teams might be a bit nervous about giving him multiple years.
Kyle Lowry might not get a huge deal next year.
The likes of LeBron James continuing to excel into his later years shows that Lowry might be able to sustain his production, cases like LeBron are unlikely, and Lowry’s increased injury rate might make it tougher to get teams to overhaul their roster in order to bring him in.
Father Time is undefeated, and age appears to be making Lowry’s body slightly more brittle. Teams will be willing to give him plenty of money in order to take them over the top in a potential title chance, but Lowry might not get a deal that is as long or lucrative as he hoped considering how much time he has missed.