3. A quiet offseason could mean a loud trade deadline
Everywhere you looked this summer, major players were leaving their homes for new digs, including but not limited to Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the board man himself.
Most of the teams bringing in superstar players presume that their chances to win a championship in 2019-20 skyrocketed over the summer. On the opposite ends, the teams losing those players may be in some trouble.
The silver lining of that situation — and the parity at the top of the league expected for the coming year — is that it will be a seller’s market at the trade deadline next season. Teams trading away contributors are set to reap major rewards.
Obviously, the Raptors don’t want to be in that position and may not even anticipate being in that situation. Coming off of a title run, expectations are high that they can make another one, even without Leonard and Green.
If the Raptors stumble out of the gates, however, teams could be lining up for the services of expiring deals attached to Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and Marc Gasol, giving Toronto an opportunity to accelerate towards their next title window.
There’s really only one player who should be untouchable for Toronto…