Just when it looked like things couldn’t get worse for Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors, a Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors decided to saunter into Scotiabank Arena and show Nick Nurse exactly how horrid things have gotten over the last few weeks.
Even without Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors scored 126 points and made 18 3-pointers. Toronto lost their third home game in a row and their eighth game overall during their last 10 tries, slipping all the way down to the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference.
Ujiri’s quote from the Tampa season in which he decried the importance of making the play-in shows that he is an executive who wants either one of the top picks in the draft or a team capable of making a championship run. Presently, neither objective can be achieved with this roster.
The Raptors need to pick a direction when the trade deadline comes around. Will Toronto double down on the whole “Vision 6-9” identity and make a playoff run? Is there a chance they will sell off some of their more attractive pieces and try again next year?
Toronto Raptors: Pros and Cons of blowing up roster at trade deadline.
Pros
The Raptors will likely have to trade some of their starters anyway, as they can’t pay All-NBA contender Pascal Siakam a supermax contract and dole out other nine-figure deals. Being proactive in these talks might help Toronto get more bang for their proverbial buck.
The NBA’s trade market is out of whack right now, as aging veterans and young players that are generally replaceable starters have had multiple first-rounders and pick swaps attached to them. The Raptors could give one of the best drafters in the East a king’s ransom to work with.
The Toronto Raptors could rebuild in style.
If the Raptors use those picks nicely, this could be more of a retool than a rebuild. With Siakam and Scottie Barnes likely locked in for the foreseeable future, the Raptors will be blessed with a foundation that most teams trying to build through the draft don’t have.
With the Raptors showing no signs of changing their coach, they can try to start this new era with a coach that already has a ring on his finger. While the Raptors are likely very far away from making this a reality, things could trend this way if the losses continue to mount.