When an NBA offseason hits, it essentially opens up the floodgates for both fans and analysts alike to conjure up some of the hottest summer ideas to improve their favorite teams.
Rest assured as the NBA summer period draws near, with new draftees lying in wait, some alluring free agents open for business, and the trade machine hopefully heating up once again — the Toronto Raptors can leverage this period to make the right moves and adjustments to their roster.
However, before anyone can get too trigger happy on simply orchestrating deals for the sake of it, an organization especially like Toronto has to consider the key variables at hand.
For starters, much of the early offseason talk so far in Raptors Nation has focused on their 'negative' contracts like Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, and after the playoffs added a new layer to this dilemma — even Brandon Ingram hasn't looked safe in recent discussions.
And while moving some of the players could just be the Raptors' lucky break to offload some of these questionable financial commitments, there is also a possible downside to jumping the gun at flipping these assets. Consider that Toronto was just in a hard-fought playoff series and showed they're ready (perhaps just a few pieces shy) to be a viable opponent in the postseason.
Tactical asset management must be the Raptors' top mission statement this summer
Any moves going forward must be looked at with the mindset that it will only help the Raptors in that future mission. I completely understand that if you're moving these deals to shed money for the long run, then that's a win in and of itself, but what about if you're weak player assets back or having to trade valuable draft capital to get rid of them?
If you look at it from that perspective, it doesn't exactly seem like Toronto is getting the better end of the bargain there, even if it frees them from current salary handicaps.
Besides, Jakob Poeltl might just be the only asset in that bunch that appears to be reaching the point of no return, but even then, if the Raptors' hand is forced to play him — he can still suit up, albeit not at the greatest level. While Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley had their fair share of concerns arise in the latter stages of this season, I wouldn't completely write them off as lost causes, and there is still a path to where they remain key contributors to this Raptors core.
Because as much as Raptors fans would be delighted to see this money freed up, who steps up in their place post-departure? Losing one of IQ, BI, and yes, even Jakob Poeltl, will still create holes that need to be addressed. That becomes a whole new issue in the aftermath, and unless Toronto can get back worthy ceiling raisers in return, then it creates quite the dilemma on the Raptors' part.
In a nutshell, I'm not saying Toronto shouldn't entertain any trades or offers for any of these gentlemen at all, especially if a hot target like Jamal Murray or even Giannis Antetokounmpo could potentially be on the table. But even in samples from years past, Raptors fans are still haunted by some of their previous questionable moves where they had to sacrifice the good of their roster or letting go of their own draft capital, simply to finalize a deal.
Toronto is in a prime position here, holding several leverage points. Sure, they might be somewhat tight on funds to accelerate their improvement, but they’re a young team with several emerging contributors and a star in Scottie Barnes leading the way. The Raptors' front office can't fall under the trap of self-sabotage by engaging in bad business with these assets, even if the contracts themselves are almost the personification of 'bad business'.
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