The Toronto Raptors will march into the 2017-18 season with roughly the same core as the previous year.
The Toronto Raptors had a pretty successful offseason.
They re-signed their biggest free agents in Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka and unloaded DeMarre Carroll‘s bloated salary to the Brooklyn Nets. They also traded Cory Joseph for C.J. Miles, who adds 3-point shooting and depth to the wing positions.
The Cavaliers and Celtics kept busy in the offseason too. Boston broke headlines first when it signed swingman Gordon Hayward. He added much-needed talent to the East after a flock of stars migrated West during the offseason. Then, Cleveland and Boston swapped point guards in the biggest trade of the summer.
The Washington Wizards haven’t gone anywhere and the up-and-coming Milwaukee Bucks will look to advance in the standings as well. The middle and bottom of the East got a lot weaker but the top remains intact.
We’ll have to wait until the start of the season to observe how Toronto’s offseason moves play out, but most of their main strengths and weaknesses are still the same. The Raptors will advance as far as DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry take them, who remain arguably the best backcourt in the Eastern Conference.