Lowry’s future and other major off-season questions
Sometimes the best answers are the simplest, a fact that should be kept in mind as the Raptors approach a watershed few weeks with a long to-do list and myriad options seemingly in front of them.
While it may be human nature among fans to want something different — to desire something new, to embrace change, to seek excitement in the unknown — it isn’t always the wisest course of action.
It shouldn’t be for team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster in these next few weeks, either. It might be boring, but it’s also best.
The laundry list is long, though.
THE LOWRY QUESTION
This is where simple is best most applies.
Give star point guard Kyle Lowry a two-year deal worth somewhere in the $45 million to $50 million (U.S.) range, show you’re serious about continuing to win while keeping continuity in the roster.
It’s not like the 35-year-old’s skills have diminished, he isn’t clamouring to get out of Toronto, and it’s not like the Raptors can’t win with him in a central role. He is the perfect bridge to maximize what this team will be and what it might become in three years: a leader, mentor and still an integral part.
And if things go south, having the financial certainty of a contract in place can’t hurt. It’s also far less risky than finding some convoluted sign-and-trade deal to pull off next month.
Lowry is, and should be, central to this roster.
THE DRAFT
This is the crapshoot and, in many ways, entirely out of the Raptors’ hands.
Given this is the time of misinformation — where no team, agent, player or “expert” is telling the complete truth — getting a grip on what will happen is impossible.
But the fact is, the Raptors are going to get a legitimate player at No. 4 in the July 29 NBA draft and there’s no need to trade out of that spot.
It’d be great if USC big man Evan Mobley falls to them. If reports are true, Florida State small forward Scottie Barnes is rocketing up the charts and would be a perfect fit with OG Anunoby as small forward. But it doesn’t matter a ton. They’re players — with Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs and G League Ignite guard Jalen Green also in the mix — and the Raptors will make it work with whoever they get.
The bigger challenge will be turning one of their picks in the middle of the second round (46th and 47th) into someone who becomes a rotation player, and that’s where scouting director Dan Tolzman and his people have to hit a home run.
A BLOCKBUSTER?
The news from well-respected TrueHoop author Henry Ab- bott that Portland star Damian Lillard will request a trade in the coming days, while titillating, shouldn’t create a frenzy among Raptors fans — although it probably will.
Lillard is a singular talent, no question, but finding a legitimate fit for a deal with the Raptors is next to impossible.
While it’s unclear what the Blazers would want, the lowest bar would include an all-star level talent and a gaggle of draft picks. Meeting those requirements without gutting the existing roster would seem a stretch for Ujiri and Webster, especially considering other teams would certainly be in on any bidding for Lillard’s services.
OTHER DEALS?
The point most often forgotten in the trade landscape is that you have to have something other teams want, a deal has to augment what you have — rather than simply replace one bit with another — and there are always financial concerns, immediate and long-term, to be taken into consideration.
It’s too simplistic to say, for instance, that the Raptors should investigate deals involving Pascal Siakam, even if that’s frequently talked about as a possibility. The fact is, until he rehabs from shoulder surgery and gets back on the court — that might not be until December — the notion of getting anything substantial in return is silly and not really worth wasting time on.
Other than Siakam, the only players the Raptors have under contract today are Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn, and there’s little chance that a deal involving any of them would greatly improve the team rather than just make the Raptors different.
SEEKING FREE AGENTS
Depending on how much money the Raptors have to spend — and we’ll go with them being an over-the-cap team with Lowry on the roster for this discussion, leaving them with the full midlevel exception — there aren’t a lot of intriguing options. Two hit home, though.
If they could convince Canadian Kelly Olynyk to take a significant pay cut, he would be one of the best frontcourt fits out there and should be a prime target.
Sacramento centre Richaun Holmes is intriguing and might be gettable to fill a gaping hole in a roster that, today, does not have a healthy power forward or centre under a guaranteed deal.
If teams indeed shop for need, there’s no bigger need in Toronto than bigs.
KEEPING THEIR OWN
Again, there is much to do, but it does seem straightforward even with a couple of tough decisions to make.
It’s a no-brainer that the Raptors will exercise an option to keep Chris Boucher for another year at about $7.5 million, while he spends the summer making sure his knee is fit. Finding a way to pay restricted free agent Gary Trent might be a bit more difficult because of the financial negotiations, but they should get that done.
But two more difficult calls are due: There probably isn’t room for both Yuta Watanabe and DeAndre Bembry to come back — Watanabe likely has more upside and will be retained — and it’s not clear whether both Khem Birch and Freddie Gillespie fit into the future. Birch has more experience and a more developed game. Making him the priority makes the most sense.
Maybe there’s a way for all four to come back, but it’s not clear, nor is it likely.
THE UJIRI QUESTION
Nothing has changed when it comes to the expectation that Ujiri will re-up as the team president, and every source at every level expects it to happen.
He’s knee deep in draft preparations, networking as he always has done, and the fact that pen has not yet been put to paper on a new contract doesn’t seem to worry anyone connected with the team.
But until it’s done, it’s not done. It might be wise to get it over with.
AND SO ...
There you have it. The fact is, the Raptors aren’t in dire straits by any stretch of the imagination. There are tweaks needed for various roster needs, but it’s not like this is or was a bad team in steady decline. They caught their breath last season and now a calm, simple approach is called for.