3 Raptors who will be out of the rotation after offseason moves

The Toronto Raptors were hard at work trying to round out the rest of their bench. After Nick Nurse had to make use of a rotation that only went seven or eight players deep, Masai Ujiri made sure that 2022-23 would be different. The first step in achieving that goal was bringing back Chris Boucher and Thad Young.

In addition to resigning Young and Boucher as soon as possible in free agency, Toronto decided to make sure they added a quality bench scorer to the fold by agreeing to terms with Otto Porter Jr. on a two-year contract. The depleted benches of yesteryear will not come back to bite Toronto in 2022.

As with any change on the roster, there will be players who see their responsibilities cut as a result of this wheeling and dealing. Several underperformers who have lingered from last year or young players still working themselves out won’t be afforded the same opportunities.

These 3 Raptors may have seen some brief time in the rotation last year, but they may not see the court too frequently in 2022-23 barring injuries or a huge downturn in performance from one of the role players. They’ll need to fight and claw to get on the court.

3 Raptors who could lose playing time after offseason

3. Svi Mykhailiuk

The fact that Mykhailiuk is still on the roster when Toronto could have explored numerous avenues to rid themselves of the Ukrainian wing shows that there is at least a slight degree of interest in rehabilitating him. That might be a tough sell for segments of the fanbase after a tough start to the season.

Mykhailiuk shot under 40% from the field and saw his 3-point marksmanship completely wilt away. While Mykhailiuk likely thought he could play his way back into Nick Nurse’s good graces, the signing of Porter has officially closed off any path that Svi had toward the rotation.

Toronto Raptors: Svi Mykhailiuk is on the outside looking in.

Mykhailiuk may not even be guaranteed a spot on the final roster when it’s all said and done. After Juancho Hernangomez agreed to a guaranteed veteran minimum contract that is just a few figures off what Mykhailiuk is making, the two will likely be in direct competition.

Mykhailiuk has shown he can be a solid player in the past, but whatever goodwill he picked up during his initial stint with Toronto has swiftly eroded thanks to a mid-season stretch of ineptitude. If he isn’t careful, a solid preseason from Bo Cruz could knock him out of the picture.