The Toronto Raptors have had an extremely good off-season so far. After getting swept 4-0 by the Washington Wizards in the first round, despite having home-court advantage, GM Masai Ujiri, knew he had to make a change. Ujiri commented on the composition of the team after the season ended, essentially saying that he played with the structure of the team too much. He went out this off-season and fixed it.
The Toronto Raptors had success 2 years ago because of their defensive focus, and this year, the Raptors shifted their focus from defense to offense with the acquisitions of Lou Williams, the 6th man of the year. Despite being 2nd in team scoring throughout the season, Williams style of play, caused them to run an up-tempo offensive style that didn’t fit well with their starters. So what were the Raptors lacking this year? They needed a starting small-forward, and more defensive players. So what did Masai do next?
Additions: Bismack Biyombo, Delon Wright, DeMarre Carroll, Corey Joseph, Luke Ridnour.
Subtractions: Amir Johnson, Lou Williams, Greivis Vasquez.
Free agents: Landry Fields, Tyler Hansborough, Chuck Hayes, Greg Steisma.
So what’s next?
As standing the Raptors starting lineup consists of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, DeMarre Carroll, Patrick Patterson, and Jonas Valanciunas. That is not enough to contend in the Eastern Conference that LeBron James rules over. In a weak Eastern Conference, the Raptors made the 4th spot. An Eastern Conference that Paul George was not healthy in. An Eastern Conference that didn’t see the Cavaliers above .500 games until 40 games in.
In order for the Raptors to take their team to the next level, all they need to do is acquire a starting Power Forward which will allow them to either stretch the floor or become a rebounding machine. The Raptors have been trying to fill this void, and have tried to replace Amir Johnson in the past. Kenneth Faried and Taj Gibson are frequently mentioned in trade talks, but the Raptors haven’t been willing to let go of Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross, their top prospects. Masai Ujiri has about $3 million in cap space, and that won’t be enough to secure a starting power forward. From the deals that Masai Ujiri is making it is clear that a trade is coming soon for the Raptors.
So if the Raptors do decide to make a move on one of the free agent power forwards they have their pick from Kevan Seraphin, Jordan Hill and Darrell Arthur. Which isn’t much help.
If the Raptors were to look at a trade they could look to a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have been problems negotiating contracts with Tristan Thompson. With Corey Joseph, a fellow Canadian player, could Thompson want to play in his hometown? Could they look to a team like the Denver Nuggets, who want to ship off Wilson Chandler or Danilo Gaillnari? Realistically, the Raptors only real valuable players they’re willing to trade are James Johnson, Terrence Ross and maybe Jonas Valanciunas.
With all these options available, the Toronto Raptors have put themselves in a position to make a big blockbuster trade to get a Power Forward in their hands. Masai Ujiri has done his job so far this summer, going back and fixing his mistakes, and turning this team into a defensive minded team at first.
With Masai Ujiri’s moves, he has officially changed the composition of the Raptors. With 4 more months of off-season, he has a chance to make them a legitimate contender. I mean, when was the last time you heard the Raptors attracting players like LaMarcus Aldridge? Times have changed in Toronto and a new age of becoming an habitual winner has made the city a basketball city more than anything else. Job well done Masai.
