NBA: Ranking the teams in the Atlantic Division for 2017-18

2. Toronto Raptors

The Raptors might have peaked two years ago and taken another step back this summer. They finished the 2015-16 season with 56 wins before dropping to 51 last year. Now, as their star players have become more expensive, they lost a couple of key role players.

Both Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka‘s contracts surged (pun intended) this offseason. Because of that, Toronto was forced to rid themselves of Carroll and Cory Joseph. It costs them a 2018 first and second round pick to dump the small forward’s salary onto Brooklyn.

C.J. Miles should replace most of Carroll’s production. At this point in their careers, Miles has been the more productive offensive player.

The Joseph trade may hurt the most. He was really beginning to come into his own as a player, having increased his points, rebounds and assists per game each of the past four seasons. That will be a huge loss for a team that saw its starting point guard fall victim to multiple injuries during the playoffs.

Delon Wright and Norman Powell figure to pick up most of the slack at the 1. How well they step into that role will go a long way in determining this team’s success in a brittle East.