What’s Next For The Toronto Raptors?
Now that their historic season has come to a close, the Toronto Raptors face some interesting questions this coming offseason.
With many questions surrounding them at the beginning of this season, the Toronto Raptors defied everyone’s expectations.
Following their disappointing exit from last year’s playoffs, the Raptors went back to the drawing board and retooled their roster last offseason.
Their few free agency additions, headlined by the signing of DeMarre Carroll, filled in the cracks the Raptors had by the end of last season and it resulted in a team built to reflect the strengths of Raptors head coach Dwane Casey.
With those changes in place, the team soared to new heights as a franchise by garnering their first 50-win season as well as earning the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
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Additionally, they finally conquered their long-standing playoff demons and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, despite their overall playoff run being far from pretty.
Yes, their milestone season is over, but there’s plenty for the Raptors organization, along with the fans, to be proud of for the many things they were able to accomplish this season.
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As the focus now shifts towards the upcoming offseason, a very intriguing summer lies ahead for the Raptors and it’s one that will impact them in the years to come.
Their many decisions this offseason range from the free agency of key players like DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo (if he decides to decline his player option, which is very likely to happen) and the long-term status of Casey’s job.
In regards to the latter, there have already been indications as well as comments from Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri regarding a potential contract extension for Casey and it’s one that’s well deserved.
Casey’s performance throughout the season was terrific as he was able to overcome the various injuries to key players and get the best out of his players, whether it be the team’s stars or the last guy off the bench.
While it was easy to be frustrated by his game management, along with the team’s lack of offensive creativity over the course of the Raptors’ playoff run, Casey eventually made the right adjustments and empowered his players to fight through their respective slumps.
As far as free agency goes, the Raptors have a tough decision on their hands regarding the future of both DeRozan and Biyombo.
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Even though each player served a different purpose for the Raptors this season, the play of Biyombo and DeRozan were huge keys to the Raptors’ success this season.
With that said, they both come with big flaws and a growing salary cap doesn’t do much to help alleviate those concerns.
Biyombo is likely the odd man out of the two, given that his performance in the playoffs have opened some eyes around the league (which has increased his value around the league) and the Raptors are already financially committed to Jonas Valanciunas for the next few seasons.
For DeRozan, though, his future with the Raptors seems more cloudy than where it was just before the playoffs began. Some of that is due to his play in the playoffs, which fluctuated between respectable and horrific for most of the Raptors’ postseason run.
However, the bigger reason is due to DeRozan’s style of play, being that he’s a ball dominant shooting guard that primarily shoots from mid-range.
Despite being an odd fit in today’s NBA, DeRozan is entering his prime (DeRozan will be 27 by the start of next season) and that alone will drive many suitors his way once free agency begins, due to the lack of star power in this free agent class.
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There’s plenty of big decisions heading the Raptors’ way this summer, with even more to emerge as the offseason goes on. Navigating through these decisions certainly won’t be easy, but if we learned anything from the Raptors this year, we should know they’re up for the challenge.