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3 more Raptors moves that would give Toronto an A+ offseason

By Mike Luciano

Mar 26, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors team president Masai Ujiri waits as fans exit Scotiabank Arena Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors team president Masai Ujiri waits as fans exit Scotiabank Arena Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Svi Mykhailiuk, Toronto Raptors
TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 30: Svi Mykhailiuk #14 of the Toronto Raptors puts up a layup with Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors close by (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /

The Toronto Raptors are still trying their best to lure Kevin Durant away from the Brooklyn Nets, but they shouldn’t completely neglect the rest of their offseason checklist in order to accomplish that goal. With Summer League coming to a close soon, the roster could use a little nip and tuck.

Toronto still has a few guaranteed contract spots open, and they still need to figure out if extensions for some of their biggest names are going to happen within a somewhat reasonable timeframe. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam are both looking to secure the bag soon.

At the very least, Toronto can take solace in the Otto Porter Jr. signing and deftly retaining both Thad Young and Chris Boucher. Those were clearly the two top priorities before the Raptors became aware of Durant’s availability, and Toronto can say they checked them off very quickly.

Even if the Raptors don’t end up trading for Durant, they can still ace the offseason if they polish off their plate with a handful of solid moves. Going from an A- to a hypothetical A+ can be accomplished with either a Durant trade or these three lesser transactions.

3 Toronto Raptors moves that could help ace the offseason.

3. Part ways with Svi Mykhailiuk

Mykhailiuk is taking up a guaranteed roster spot after opting into the second year of his contract. After failing to make 40% of his shots and falling out of the rotation entirely, the Ukrainian wing was unlikely to command a bidding way on the free agent market.

With undrafted players like Justin Champagnie and Dalano Banton making very compelling cases for longer stays, getting rid of Mykhailuk could help open up another hole on the roster. Considering how far away Toronto is from the salary cap, they could just eat that salary.

The Toronto Raptors could move Svi Mykhailiuk.

Trading him, perhaps with another underperforming rotation member, may be in the cards. Mykhailiuk still has good basketball ahead of him, but it looks like he is just not going to reach that potential if he continues to waste away on the Raptors’ bench doing nothing.

The Raptors need extra shooting, but Mykhailiuk will not help if he continues to shoot as erratically as he did last year. A fresh start might be best for both parties, especially a Raptors team that is trying to get some new blood on the bench before the season.