The Toronto Raptors’ 2021 season was one to forget. Some may say it was doomed to fail from the start, but the events that proceeded really put the nail in the coffin. Moving to Tampa for the regular season doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for professional athletes, it really can be and their record to start the season cemented that fact.
Then just when they were starting to find a groove, COVID-19 ravaged the dressing room, and the Raptors never really recovered. The ended up missing the NBA Playoffs for the first season in nearly a decade in a bitter ending to this season.
The 2022 season can be extremely different if management plays their cards right. There are a ton of questions to be answered that can truly change the future of this organization in the short and long term.
The Toronto Raptors are a better team than their 2021 record shows and it is far from a stretch to say that this team could be a competitive team in the Eastern Conference by as early as next season. Here is a simple 3-step plan to get back.
These 3 steps can help get the Toronto Raptors back to the postseason.
1. Get as much as you can for Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade
When the GROAT wasn’t moved at the NBA Trade Deadline there were certainly a few eyebrows raised. Masai Ujiri stood firm on the value he wanted for Kyle Lowry and wasn’t willing to budge. Looking back now, maybe he should’ve.
If the Raptors hope to get anything of value from such an important player now, their last hope looks to be a sign-and-trade. Doing so could help ensure that Lowry’s first post-Raptors team gives him a puncher’s chance at winning a championship, which he likely won’t have in Toronto.
The Toronto Raptors should have plenty of suitors for Kyle Lowry.
A player like Lowry will have plenty of interest in a sign-and-trade market, and the Raptors should field offers from all teams in order to get the most back.
The Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Lakers have been the favorites to make a deal for Lowry from early on in the 2021 season. This offseason though, there should be plenty more interested organizations for the veteran guard.
Lowry no longer fits in the young core that the Raptors have decided to build around. Not so secretly wants to compete with a championship-caliber club. The Raptors should try and get as many assets as possible in return for Lowry to use themselves or to eventually flip into something even greater.