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.
4. Thad Young
Young was held in such high regard at one point that Toronto traded a first-round pick that later became Malaki Branham in order to acquire him. While he ended up earning some starts earlier in the season following his decision to return to Toronto in free agency, Young was completely invisible for the last few months.
Young signed a two-year contract with Toronto in free agency, but the way it is structured allows both Young and the Raptors to seek a fresh start if he was not performing up to the standard Toronto set. A mutual parting of ways might be best for both.
Thad Young barely played for the Toronto Raptors.
While Young was, without question, a phenomenal influence on Scottie Barnes early in his career, the Raptors don’t have the skills needed to waste a roster spot on a veteran cheerleader. If the Raptors want Young’s sagely presence on the roster, maybe approach him and gauge his desire to transition to coaching.
Young can still provide solid minutes for a contender, but not consistently enough to warrant a significant financial investment. Toronto would be better off filling their bench with someone that could give more offensive pop when called into action.
3. Malachi Flynn
Flynn may already have his fourth year of salary picked up by Toronto, but his performance this season was so substandard that it became abundantly clear he is no longer a part of the team’s future. The Raptors would be better off finding a new home for him.
Flynn was passed up on the depth chart by Jeff Dowtin, a player that Toronto didn’t even think was worthy of a spot in the postseason rotation. Flynn has been given plenty of chances, but the well has likely run dry at this stage of his career.
Malachi Flynn might leave the Toronto Raptors.
At this point, why would Flynn even want to be back? Not only has his development stagnated, but Toronto is poised to revamp its depth chart and bench depth completely. More competition will only push Flynn further away from a spot in the rotation.
The fact that Ujiri took Flynn over Desmond Bane, who has become a borderline star with the No. 2-seed Memphis Grizzlies, will haunt him forever. Flynn’s inefficiency and odd decision-making haven’t abated since his rookie season, which has made the coaching staff frustrated.
2. Gary Trent Jr.
Trent seemed like a player Toronto would be foolish not to retain, as he is a young player with a deadly 3-point shot and priming defense. All of that optimism has wilted away and turned to unmitigated scorn after one of his worst showings in a Raptors jersey against Chicago.
Trent was turning the ball over and taking all sorts of ill-advised attempts. While Trent averaged 17.4 points per game, showing that he is still a quality scorer at this point in his career, the confluence of his poor finish and his projected contract could bring an end to his time in Toronto.
Will the Toronto Raptors keep Gary Trent Jr. in Canada?
There are reasons to keep Trent over some of Toronto’s prospective free agents, but paying him close to nine figures when he was bumped out of the starting lineup twice and generally underperformed this season would not be the savviest use of the team’s cap room.
While Trent gives a Raptors team without shooting the creativity they need, he might price himself out of a Raptors return. Toronto may have won the Norman Powell trade with Portland, but that won’t stop his career in Canada from coming to an abrupt end.
1. Nick Nurse
Nurse’s potential departure to the Houston Rockets appears to be a classic case of a head coach leaving one organization for a new challenge, perhaps one in which he has extra control over the day-to-day operations. However, the Chicago loss might open an avenue for dismissal on performance-based reasons.
Nurse’s lack of adjustment, willingness to completely grind his starters into the dirt, and willingness to openly discuss his potential departure contributed to Toronto ending the season in an absolutely disgusting fashion. Nurse’s team regressed in all areas, missing the playoffs for the first time in a non-Tampa season.
Will Nick Nurse leave the Toronto Raptors?
The Rockets had to feel a bit nervous watching Nurse choke against the Bulls. While he will still have a job in 2023 if he wants to coach, it’s fair to say that his coaching star has lost some luster. The Raptors haven’t reached the Conference Finals since 2019 with many of the same players.
Nurse will be the greatest coach in Raptors history until someone else can match his championship total, but that doesn’t mean that he gets a free pass irrespective of performance forever.