The Toronto Raptors will do everything in their power to ensure Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka stick around. If those two leave in free agency, however, the Raptors will need contingency plans.
Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page: This is an article about Plan B. This is not Plan A. If the Toronto Raptors reach the point where they are pursuing the free agents suggested herein, they will have lost the offseason. It could get to that point.
Starting Saturday, the Raptors will enter the most consequential free agency period in the franchise’s brief history. Kyle Lowry, the team’s leader and probably its best player, is a free agent. Serge Ibaka, the team’s third-best player, will join him. And right behind those guys, veteran forwards Patrick Patterson and P.J. Tucker are out of contract.
Toronto general manager Masai Ujiri appears committed to locking up Lowry and Ibaka, but it’s not that simple. Lowry is 31 years old, and presenting him with a full max deal will eventually mean forking out roughly $40 million to a 36-year-old – not ideal.
If Ujiri offers Lowry less money or fewer years, the three-time All-Star may opt to leave Toronto.
Toronto Raptors fans if Kyle Lowry and Masai Ujiri leave the 6ix: pic.twitter.com/nQDauOV17C
— Chris Walder (@WalderSports) June 29, 2017
In a perfect world, Ibaka will make his decision after Lowry does. It may be ill-advised to retain the former if the latter moves on. Lowry is an elite player, and his playmaking, ball security, and shooting are indispensable for this spacing-challenged roster. Lose him and you’re staring at a .500 team, even with Ibaka.
The same logic applies to Patterson and Tucker. Those guys are in-their-prime role players who would be of no use to a rebuilding team.
So if Plan A is keeping the core in place, Plan B is either a retool or a rebuild. With every cap hold off the books, the Raptors will have roughly $19.5 million to spend. That said, it’s possible one of Lowry and Ibaka stays. In that case, the Raptors would have just the $8.4 million midlevel exception and the $3.3 million bi-annual exception.
Here are five players they can target. With each, I include the scenario that would call for the acquisition, whether it be Lowry leaving, Ibaka leaving or both.