The Toronto Raptors have assembled a roster that is expensive and unproven. Rather than panic to get under the luxury tax before the season, they made it clear they will be making trades during the year -- and if they are not good, they will not be paying the tax.
The modern NBA seems to be ruled more by the dollar than the dunk. That is, what is most important to organizations is not so much the on-the-court product, but rather where the team fits under the luxury tax and aprons. That has always been the case to some extent, with more miserly owners putting a cap on their team's spending, but now it appears ubiquitous around the league.
The Boston Celtics are in a large market and just won a championship in 2024, and they sold off multiple former All-Stars this summer just to slash their payroll. The Indiana Pacers let the starting center from an NBA Finals team walk lest they become a luxury tax team. Teams are terrified to end up with an expensive team, and it's warping their approach to building the most competitive roster.
The Toronto Raptors are not afraid of the tax
The Toronto Raptors appear to be living without such concerns, which is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the team didn't feel the need to make a panic trade heading into the year just because they are over the luxury tax line. The Miami Heat salary-dumped a really good role player in Haywood Highsmith earlier this offseason just to duck the tax heading into the year, even though teams have all season to get under the line.
Not so the Raptors. They have a full roster and have kept all of them, maintaining last year's roster and making small moves on the margins. Raptors GM Bobby Webster spoke to the media last week and addressed the current state of the roster and whether they were concerned about paying the luxury tax.
The likelihood that this team is the exact same team by the end of the year is probably zero … I don’t see that as the urgent piece,” he told the assembled media. That may seem like a boiler plate statement from a team official, but it's actually a revealing look into the organization's approach. They are not in love with their current roster; they didn't make any bold moves this summer, in part because they made the bold move at last year's trade deadline by adding Brandon Ingram, but they are preparing to make one this year.
The flip side of the equation is also true for the Raptors, however. They may not be afraid of the luxury tax line, but they also have a roster packed with expensive players that has proven absolutely nothing. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the league's most expensive team and the organization believes in the team. The New York Knicks are the favorites to challenge Cleveland and have a locked-in top-six players to justify the price tag of the roster.
The Raptors are expensive and don't know if their team makes any sense as a competitive roster. They have players who are individually good but collectively seem to be ill-fitting. Will the talent lift this team to relevance? If not, Webster and company are not only open to making a trade, they are planning on it.
It's a good thing that ownership is prepared to pay for a good roster; it's a bad thing that this front office hasn't proven it knows how to put one of those together but have reached "expensive" anyway. This season is important for a number of players to demonstrate their worth, and for Webster and his team to prove they can assemble a good team.
Don't expect the same roster to make it past the trade deadline: the Raptors have already promised changes are coming. Will it be to get better or to get cheaper? That depends on how the first half of the year plays out.