5 Toronto Raptors who won’t be back next season after playoff exit

The Toronto Raptors not only lost a home play-in game to the Chicago Bulls as their season came to a close, but they fell embarrassingly. Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse had to watch their team blow a 19-point lead while missing a nearly unprecedented 18 free throws.

The Raptors now have three impact players in Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl, and Gary Trent Jr. all likely to be free agents that can test the open market. With minimal draft capital in the next two seasons, the Raptors have committed to trying to win with their current core.

While the merits of that philosophy are up for debate, it proves that Ujiri is going to completely cleanse the bench in an attempt to get them some better support. The roster and coaching staff need a serious facelift, as this result was simply unacceptable for a squad with this much firepower.

These five players might need to look for new places outside of Toronto by the end of the offseason, as it is very difficult to envision a future in which they return. The winds of change are poised to sweep through Toronto and set this team up with a whole new cast of characters next season.

5 Toronto Raptors who will not be back next year.

5. Will Barton

When Barton was signed and Juancho Hernangomez was waived, Raptors fans treated the former Nuggets and Wizards guard like the second coming. Finally, after months of watching subpar perimeter play, Barton was coming to town in order to hit a few timely 3-pointers every night.

Barton averaged just 4.5 points per game while making 35% of his shots from the field. His defense has been subpar for years, and this season only confirms that he is a net negative when his shot isn’t falling. Despite a strong relationship with Earl Watson, Barton likely won’t return.

The Toronto Raptors need to part with Will Barton.

Father Time is undefeated, and it appears as though he claimed another victim here. The player we saw in Denver, who could attack the rim with ferocity in addition to sniping from 3-point range, isn’t around anymore. Instead, Barton has regressed to the point that Toronto isn’t going to retain him.

Barton may get one more NBA contract, but it will likely be in a very reduced role. Toronto knows they need to nail it this offseason, so signing Barton to fill up one of those spots would be malpractice. Younger, fresher legs are needed at such a key position.