islandboy53 wrote:From Keith Smith at Spotrac: Raptors' 2024 offseason analysis: "Continuing the reset without having to rebuild". This is a thoughtful, well reasoned look at what the Raptors are looking at this summer. Definitely worth a read.
https://www.spotrac.com/news/_/id/2234/2024-nba-offseason-financial-previews"The Toronto Raptors did the hard part ahead of last season’s trade deadline: They hit the reset button. That meant trading away the last real ties to the 2019 title team by sending OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks and Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers. But they were the right moves to get the franchise headed in a new direction. After missing the playoffs in three of the last four years, with one first-round exit mixed in, it was time to start over. The good news? The Raptors aren’t starting over from scratch."
"This offseason is crucial for Toronto, but not in an “adding talent” way. This summer is about locking up the players the Raptors already have in Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley. Everything else is about finding the right guys to maximize what those two bring, especially players who fit with Barnes. That might be a two-year process, but if the Raptors get this right, this mini-postseason drought will be over before we know it."In addition to these summary comments, Smith suggests the following:
- Barnes will get a max extension, likely allowing for 30% of the cap if he makes all NBA
- Quickley will get 4 years between $100 mil and $120 mil
- the Olynyk signing points to Toronto operating over the cap
- Brown's option will be picked up to allow him to be used in a trade
- Trent will move on (could be sign & trade)
- Nwora, Temple, Malik Williams
could return, on a minimum deal
- Raps will use the MLE to target affordable options for backup PG and possibly 4/5 depth
- draft picks will be BPA
- Barnes max extension is a given. This should be the last move we make though so we can use capspace to do other things.
- I like Quickley at $100M/4yrs. $120M is a bit of an overpay IMO.
- Toronto will definitely be operating over the cap.
- First thing we should do is decline Brown's option unless someone is going offer us significant compensation to take on long-term money. Otherwise, we could probably grab two rotation players for what we're paying Brown and probably still have some change left over.
- How we use the MLE will largely depend on how the draft goes down. I really think targeting a vet PG like Lowry would be great... he could tutor our PG we take at 19. Other than that, signing a 3rd C off the bench would be good too...Biyombo maybe but those should both be veteran minimum deals. Would love to take a chance on Patrick Williams but the Bulls have matching rights so who knows if they will.
- Also don't need to S&T Trent unless it's coming with worthwhile compensation. Gotta be a 2025 pick or better if we're going to use our space to resign him and then probably end up taking back crap contracts. Otherwise, there's better things we could be doing with that money/space. Best thing to do is probably just let him walk.