Basking in the glow of their first championship, the Toronto Raptors front office is now tasked with looking toward 2019 NBA free agency.
The city of Toronto will continue the celebration of its first NBA title until the summer fades to fall. The Toronto Raptors, however, must quickly pivot toward winning another one in 12 months’ time.
That means abruptly shifting focus from ticker tape parades to 2019 NBA free agency, set to begin on June 30.
Toronto had a very quiet draft, making its lone selection with the penultimate pick of the night. The team selected center Dewan Hernandez, a promising project who missed out on the entire collegiate season due to a ruling of ineligibility from the NCAA.
Regardless, this summer was always going to be about free agency for one, big reason: Kawhi Leonard.
The Klaw completely changed the perception of the franchise when he arrived in Canada via trade last summer. One of the biggest gambles in the history of the NBA paid off in a major way, with the Raptors forever indebted to the forward.
He has the option to leave this summer, but he isn’t the only one. Whether unrestricted, restricted, or vested with a player option, the Raptors have eight players who could depart via free agency this summer. Toronto can breathe a sigh of relief: most of those pending free agents were not major contributors to the title run.
Here are the eight pending free agents and the decisions that should be made regarding their future.