This past season, Toronto revealed they can be a competent playoff unit, but they're likely a few pieces away from being a truly elite squad positioned for a championship.
As I've referenced in previous pieces, that critical first stage of the process is complete. But even in the Raptors' spirited playoff effort, fans, analysts, and even members of the internal team could see clear as day that Toronto was missing some key roster components. While injuries could be to blame for some of those pitfalls, the glaring lack of size (in turn, a disadvantage on offensive and even defensive rebounds), limited arsenal of specialist three-point threats, and shaky guard depth were hard to miss in Toronto's 2025-26 campaign as a whole.
Now, with Bobby Webster contractually locked in as the leader of this Raptors front office for the long-term, there has to be a sense of added pressure to improve Toronto's prospects for next season and beyond. Targeting shooters, size, and guard depth are absolutely going to be the top priorities for the Raptors' upcoming offseason endeavors.
But here's where things get a little tricky.
Raptors' offseason ambitions are shared across the league (especially in the East)
These core roster elements essentially make-or-break a contender. Any franchise with remote aspirations to be in that true title mix, or even just a deep playoff push, has to build their roster depth with these things addressed.
If you need anything to serve as proof, just look at the two teams who faced off in the 2026 NBA Finals: New York and San Antonio.
The Knicks had a surplus of these pieces help contribute to their title victory, and now it should only serve as a blueprint for other teams to mimic. Likewise, even though the Spurs had depth issues come up in crunch time, they are still building a strong contender with their emerging core, so long as they can find the right vets and role players mixed in between.
The days of simply stockpiling stars on stars is not the blueprint for NBA success anymore. In fact, some might argue it probably never was. And outside of the mega Giannis Antetokounmpo rumors circulating right now, what are you going to notice about a lot of the reports? Almost every team in the league (a couple of Toronto's East contemporaries like Orlando, Detroit, Charlotte, and Atlanta) is believed to be focused on adding shooters, ball-handling, center depth, and experienced veterans.
Need something else to serve as proof? Consider what the reported value and asking price for a player like Pelicans wing Trey Murphy has been as of late. You could settle for some of the more modest free agents this summer to address shooting woes, but for those teams looking to make the ultra splash to acquire a talent like TM3 — get ready to pay a high price for his services.
It's been crafty looking at potential (and reasonable) offseason targets for Toronto like Jordan Clarkson or Jock Landale, or even trade targets like Yves Missi or Walker Kessler, but you also have to consider the list of other top suitors looking to snatch the same type of talents for themselves.
Teams around the NBA will always be eager to compete and outdo each other, but this is where Bobby Webster and the front office need to stay sharp and be the first to strike.
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