Toronto Raptors: 3 nightmare scenarios that could ruin free agency

The Toronto Raptors are embarking upon an offseason that will be one of the most pivotal in the history of the franchise, as their poor record last year has them staring at a fork in the road, with one path leading towards a rebuild and one towards a retooling in pursuit of a championship.

The Raptors have some major questions they need to answer. Will free agent point guard Kyle Lowry be back? Can they find a new starter at center after some poor production there last year? What will become of their bench?

As last year proved, the Raptors can’t just expect all the jigsaw pieces to fall perfectly into place. Things can, and will, go wrong for Toronto, as the last season has proven. The Raptors just need to make sure that they execute a few very key objectives.

If they fail to do that, they could end up once again rooted to the bottom of the Atlantic standings. These 3 outcomes would be horrible for Toronto, as it becomes even tougher for the squad to turn around and contend in 2020-21 despite having a draft pick as high as No. 4.

3 scenarios the Toronto Raptors need to hope never come to fruition.

3. No cheap free agent centers come to Toronto

The Raptors don’t have the best odds at landing Evan Mobley in the draft, meaning that they will have to likely opt for one of the centers on the free agent market. If the Raptors are in the mood for a rebounder or a shot blocker, they won’t be short on options.

In addition to a Raptor acquisition that hit the market in Khem Birch, players like Knicks defensive stopper Nerlens Noel and Bulls standout Daniel Theis could be in line for some paydays. However, the Raptors won’t be the only team vying for their services, and there is a chance that they come away empty-handed.

The Toronto Raptors need to secure at least one center.

The poor production of Aron Baynes has been documented to the point of nauseation, and while Freddie Gillespie was impressive during his first NBA minutes, it’s fair to question if he can handle being a full-time backup center in the league at this point in his career.

Adding a new center is a must, and while the Raptors will have plenty of cash to splash at their disposal if they can fiddle around with the salary cap a tad, they will still have plenty of competition for some of these players. Solving the Kyle Lowry situation is the top priority, but getting a center is a FIRM No. 2 on the priority sheet.