Perhaps the team with the most at stake this upcoming season, the Toronto Raptors improved mightily this summer, but that also comes with a certain unique gamble.
Of course, they pulled off one of the marquee moves of the summer when they acquired disgruntled forward Kawhi Leonard from the San Antonio Spurs. In exchange, Toronto dealt away long-time franchise centerpiece DeMar DeRozan along with a valuable young asset in backup center Jakob Poeltl.
Leonard has not been shy about expressing his desire to join the Los Angeles Lakers once he becomes a free agent next summer. This sets the stage for the Raptors to shine this season as they hope to retain one of the best players in the NBA despite his desire to likely go elsewhere next summer.
Of course, they also still have their All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry as a complementary piece, not to mention their budding second-unit. Toronto had one of the best benches in the entire NBA last season and there is no reason for that to change this year.
With LeBron James now in the West, the Eastern Conference throne is there for anyone to take, including the hungry Raptors who have a lot to prove this season.
You can view the recently released 82-game regular season schedule for the Raptors by clicking here.
