1 trade, 1 signing that could make Raptors competitive next season

If winning is the goal, the path to achieve that goal is a murky one, and one the Toronto Raptors will need to navigate in the days ahead.

Some teams would say that winning as many games as you can every season is the goal. Teams like the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers have eschewed tanking in favor of trying to place the best possible team on the floor year after year.

Other teams would say that winning a championship is the goal, so they will subject their franchises to years of intentional losses in order to maximize their chance of building a championship team. The Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder are prominent examples of this view.

The Toronto Raptors find themselves at a crossroads. They have a young core supported by a few veterans and the optionality to either sell off those veterans and completely embrace a rebuild, or add players who can help them win now and try to push back into the postseason mix as early as this season.

Toronto could try to be competitive as early as next season

If the latter path is the one they take, the Raptors will use their trade assets and cap space to add players who fit with their current core and can elevate the team's play right away. That doesn't mean pushing the chips in for aging veterans just to try and chase 44 wins instead of 42, however; the Raptors can still target young players who fit their goals for now and can be a part of what they are building.

With that in mind, let's look at one trade and one signing Toronto can make to be competitive next season.