Raptors Cap Situation - Woj: Cap at 70 million, Tax 84.7 million

[ForeverTFC]

With the ample capspace we have in 2015, who should we go after?

Zach Lowe mentioned today that we are likely to keep deals short and small, in order to have enough cap room to go after Durant in 2016. Take it for what it's worth.

If we can bring back GV and Pat on 2 year deals, we will go into 2015 with:

Lowry/Vasquez
DeRozan
Ross/Novak/Caboclo
Patterson
Valanciunas/BeBe

If we can bring back Amir on a reasonable term and sign an SF for 2 years this offseason, I don't forsee us making any moves in 2015 other than a back-up 2 guard.

EDIT: Also keep in mind that DeRozan, Val, and Ross will come up for renewal in 2016 as well, so while we will have cap room in 2015, some of it will be earmarked for the deals that those 3 will get.

[MoMan24]

If we can lock up PP and GV for $10M total, we can probably squeeze Thabo in there before the tax threshold no?

For the love of Christ some of you people really amaze me with the logic around here. You want Thabo who is GOD AWFUL offensively and a bit overrated defensively. We have a guy name Fields who yes we hate unfairly because BC gave him the contract, he got injured and plays very limited minutes he gets. Can Fields shot NO. Can Thabo NO (31% last year). I agree we need size at the 3 spot to guard bigger wing players, but ummmmm.... Fields guarded Joe Jesus and literally gave us a win and Joe got bitter about it and said he was a fresh body. Fields has a stronger body, more athletic, younger, better basketball IQ meaning he does what he can do. He doesn't shoot 3's, doesn't go 1 on 1 unless in the post, he is our best player moving without the ball with all his cuts, is a REBOUNDING MACHINE for a SF, and is a great locker room guy and teammate. Ross should be our SF unless something drastic happens but Salmons was the one who should have been benched after is epic struggles late in the year. Unless its a REAL UPGRADE at the backup 3 why WASTE MONEY on trash when we have Fields who can play 15 min a game. Every time he comes in the game he crashes the glass like a animal, runs the floor hard, moves the ball, plays defense, and gives great energy. Let him be our backup he knows the team the system and let us save our money.

[rapz101]

With the ample capspace we have in 2015, who should we go after?

Zach Lowe mentioned today that we are likely to keep deals short and small, in order to have enough cap room to go after Durant in 2016. Take it for what it's worth.

If we can bring back GV and Pat on 2 year deals, we will go into 2015 with:

Lowry/Vasquez
DeRozan
Ross/Novak/Caboclo
Patterson
Valanciunas/BeBe

If we can bring back Amir on a reasonable term and sign an SF for 2 years this offseason, I don't forsee us making any moves in 2015 other than a back-up 2 guard.

EDIT: Also keep in mind that DeRozan, Val, and Ross will come up for renewal in 2016 as well, so while we will have cap room in 2015, some of it will be earmarked for the deals that those 3 will get.

Thats the puzzling part, and i know its probably to early to tell, but how much money would we potentially be looking at for years 2015 and 2016?

because if KD goes for the max, and we re-up on ross, val and derozan, how much money would we have to bring back everybody else?

I know with all the headlines of KD watching VC as a kid is nice and all, but how the heck is it really possible to make a good team around KD when those guys are all due for big contracts?

[Skeezo]

Skeezo, why do you have Lowrys 3rd year as 11m?

It was an oversight from when I was projecting a 4yr/44m (11m) deal... I corrected that as well as adjusted L.Nogueira rookie scale deal as it seems there is some inconsistencies. Not sure whether to use 2013 or 2014 rookie scale... Here's the update... Again totals can be adjusted based on how Lowry's deal is structured (Estimated on even 12m over 4, no increases)

[Skeezo]

What do you guys think is the max we match for Patterson? If Phoenix offers him say 8mil/year contract do you think we match?

6.5-6.75 is fair value for him that I believe Masai expects he will get given his age and two-way talent. So, if that's fair market value then I think we probably let him go about 20% above that. In other words, 7.8 or above I think we have to let him go.

You can overpay 20-25% for a key piece who will play 36mpg for you and is essentially a foundation piece but once you start doing that on your bench you can get into cap hell quick.

I really like Patman so I'm hoping any offer he gets is below 7/year so that we match without much worry. I think you can move Patman pretty easily in any deal where he's being paid 6-6.75. The closer that gets to 7.5-8 the tougher that gets for teams. It's a luxury to have a great bench and it often comes one of two ways. You either have one because of mature prospects performing above their rookie scale contracts or you have vets taking discounts to play on a contender. Other than that it makes more sense to spend on, or leave room to trade for, starters good enough to start on good teams. And every slight overpayment on your bench can impact your ability to do that.

There's gonna be some good comps out there it's just a matter of who goes first... Nice thing is there are quite a few stretch bigs in the market this year & PP being RFA obviously helps us... I think you easily see a full 3yr MLE deal being offered although its questionable whether a team with cap space will go will go much higher 6-7m... It's really all dependent on Melo/Bron/Bosh now... If they switch teams money will be taken up fairly quick in the market... If they stay home there is still going to be a ton of money left over for teams to spend...

FA Stretch Big Comps
Mike Scott
Channing Frye
Pat Patterson
Jason Smith
Spencer Hawes
Rashard Lewis

[ForeverTFC]

If we can lock up PP and GV for $10M total, we can probably squeeze Thabo in there before the tax threshold no?

For the love of Christ some of you people really amaze me with the logic around here. You want Thabo who is GOD AWFUL offensively and a bit overrated defensively. We have a guy name Fields who yes we hate unfairly because BC gave him the contract, he got injured and plays very limited minutes he gets. Can Fields shot NO. Can Thabo NO (31% last year). I agree we need size at the 3 spot to guard bigger wing players, but ummmmm.... Fields guarded Joe Jesus and literally gave us a win and Joe got bitter about it and said he was a fresh body. Fields has a stronger body, more athletic, younger, better basketball IQ meaning he does what he can do. He doesn't shoot 3's, doesn't go 1 on 1 unless in the post, he is our best player moving without the ball with all his cuts, is a REBOUNDING MACHINE for a SF, and is a great locker room guy and teammate. Ross should be our SF unless something drastic happens but Salmons was the one who should have been benched after is epic struggles late in the year. Unless its a REAL UPGRADE at the backup 3 why WASTE MONEY on trash when we have Fields who can play 15 min a game. Every time he comes in the game he crashes the glass like a animal, runs the floor hard, moves the ball, plays defense, and gives great energy. Let him be our backup he knows the team the system and let us save our money.

Because we're not talented enough to play 5 on 4 offensively on a night to night basis, even for 15 minutes. However, I agree with you. Thabo is redundant, and so is Aminu who gets tossed around here often as well. We need a big body at SF that can stick open shots to keep the defence honest. Carter makes sense - though I doubt we get him here.

[Skeezo]

With the ample capspace we have in 2015, who should we go after?

Too soon to tell whether we will have ample... depends on PP/Vasquez deals & whether we bring in an MLE type player for more then 1 yr... We start paying PP/Vasquez a combined 10-12m, MLE (VC??) 3-4m over 2yrs, & were quickly only looking at about 12-13m in cap space & that without bringing Amir back... What Masai does with GV/PP & the rest of offseason is critical to how we can add moving forward cap space wise...

[Skeezo]

With the ample capspace we have in 2015, who should we go after?

Zach Lowe mentioned today that we are likely to keep deals short and small, in order to have enough cap room to go after Durant in 2016. Take it for what it's worth.

If we can bring back GV and Pat on 2 year deals, we will go into 2015 with:

Lowry/Vasquez
DeRozan
Ross/Novak/Caboclo
Patterson
Valanciunas/BeBe

If we can bring back Amir on a reasonable term and sign an SF for 2 years this offseason, I don't forsee us making any moves in 2015 other than a back-up 2 guard.

EDIT: Also keep in mind that DeRozan, Val, and Ross will come up for renewal in 2016 as well, so while we will have cap room in 2015, some of it will be earmarked for the deals that those 3 will get.

Thats the puzzling part, and i know its probably to early to tell, but how much money would we potentially be looking at for years 2015 and 2016?

because if KD goes for the max, and we re-up on ross, val and derozan, how much money would we have to bring back everybody else?

I know with all the headlines of KD watching VC as a kid is nice and all, but how the heck is it really possible to make a good team around KD when those guys are all due for big contracts?

It is way too early to tell but If.... If we are really serious about making a run at KD in 2016?

-As much as PP is probably more valuable to us now, GV will be later (KD's friend)... Can't be paying PP 3yr deals at 6-7m per... 2yr sure but not 3yr... I think this is why we might look to R.Lewis as a possible replacement wouldn't need anymore then a 2yr deal which keeps the salary space open...

-Amir comes into the equation next year or possibly this year if He/Raps willing to extend... Is he willing to give us a hometown discount? He would need to...

-Ross, unfortunately probably the most likely guy to be left out in the cold if we were to make a run at KD, from an affordability standpoint...

-From the cap sheet I am currently keeping with the Cap Holds of DeRozan (14.3m), Ross (8.9m), JV (11.6m) we will have roughly 18m in space based on a estimated 70m cap... This projection does not include any deal for GV, PP, or Amir... It does not include D.Daniels ever being brought over... It also does not include the 2x 1st Rd picks we will have in 2016 either

[rapz101]

Thats the puzzling part, and i know its probably to early to tell, but how much money would we potentially be looking at for years 2015 and 2016?

because if KD goes for the max, and we re-up on ross, val and derozan, how much money would we have to bring back everybody else?

I know with all the headlines of KD watching VC as a kid is nice and all, but how the heck is it really possible to make a good team around KD when those guys are all due for big contracts?

It is way too early to tell but If.... If we are really serious about making a run at KD in 2016?

-As much as PP is probably more valuable to us now, GV will be later (KD's friend)... Can't be paying PP 3yr deals at 6-7m per... 2yr sure but not 3yr... I think this is why we might look to R.Lewis as a possible replacement wouldn't need anymore then a 2yr deal which keeps the salary space open...

-Amir comes into the equation next year or possibly this year if He/Raps willing to extend... Is he willing to give us a hometown discount? He would need to...

-Ross, unfortunately probably the most likely guy to be left out in the cold if we were to make a run at KD, from an affordability standpoint...

-From the cap sheet I am currently keeping with the Cap Holds of DeRozan (14.3m), Ross (8.9m), JV (11.6m) we will have roughly 18m in space based on a estimated 70m cap... This projection does not include any deal for GV, PP, or Amir... It does not include D.Daniels ever being brought over... It also does not include the 2x 1st Rd picks we will have in 2016 either

Doesn't look encouraging at all, but i think if the raps are serious, we have 2 years to position ourselves for KD...If GV, Patman re up with us for 2 yr contracts (very questionable), and we decline the team option of amir this yr and do the same thing as we did with patman and GV we could take a run at KD.

But like you said there is alot of outliers like the picks and daniels, cap hits like bruno, bebe...not only that but the players union can opt out of the current CBA in 2016/17 right?

That seems like another potential good or bad thing....man just trying to dissect whether we would be able to get KD hurts my head, all i know is Masai has alot of damn work to get us in a position to get KD.

[MoMan24]

If we can lock up PP and GV for $10M total, we can probably squeeze Thabo in there before the tax threshold no?

For the love of Christ some of you people really amaze me with the logic around here. You want Thabo who is GOD AWFUL offensively and a bit overrated defensively. We have a guy name Fields who yes we hate unfairly because BC gave him the contract, he got injured and plays very limited minutes he gets. Can Fields shot NO. Can Thabo NO (31% last year). I agree we need size at the 3 spot to guard bigger wing players, but ummmmm.... Fields guarded Joe Jesus and literally gave us a win and Joe got bitter about it and said he was a fresh body. Fields has a stronger body, more athletic, younger, better basketball IQ meaning he does what he can do. He doesn't shoot 3's, doesn't go 1 on 1 unless in the post, he is our best player moving without the ball with all his cuts, is a REBOUNDING MACHINE for a SF, and is a great locker room guy and teammate. Ross should be our SF unless something drastic happens but Salmons was the one who should have been benched after is epic struggles late in the year. Unless its a REAL UPGRADE at the backup 3 why WASTE MONEY on trash when we have Fields who can play 15 min a game. Every time he comes in the game he crashes the glass like a animal, runs the floor hard, moves the ball, plays defense, and gives great energy. Let him be our backup he knows the team the system and let us save our money.

Because we're not talented enough to play 5 on 4 offensively on a night to night basis, even for 15 minutes. However, I agree with you. Thabo is redundant, and so is Aminu who gets tossed around here often as well. We need a big body at SF that can stick open shots to keep the defence honest. Carter makes sense - though I doubt we get him here.

First of all we play in the East and in the worst division that is getting even worse. Fields cant play 15 min a game really? Do the rest of the teams in the league have 5 scorers coming of the bench or other than maybe the Spurs. Come on my point was if it is not a TRUE upgrade don't sign anyone and let Fields play backup minutes. Were you really that disgusted when he helped us win a playoff game or that game he played at Orlando and played very well. He can play limited minutes and help guard bigger wings. We having scoring coming of the bench in GV, PP if they come back and Lou. I would like for him to shoot threes but he cant GET OVER IT, he does other things this team is built around like defense, rebounding and never backing down.

[Skeezo]

Thats the puzzling part, and i know its probably to early to tell, but how much money would we potentially be looking at for years 2015 and 2016?

because if KD goes for the max, and we re-up on ross, val and derozan, how much money would we have to bring back everybody else?

I know with all the headlines of KD watching VC as a kid is nice and all, but how the heck is it really possible to make a good team around KD when those guys are all due for big contracts?

It is way too early to tell but If.... If we are really serious about making a run at KD in 2016?

-As much as PP is probably more valuable to us now, GV will be later (KD's friend)... Can't be paying PP 3yr deals at 6-7m per... 2yr sure but not 3yr... I think this is why we might look to R.Lewis as a possible replacement wouldn't need anymore then a 2yr deal which keeps the salary space open...

-Amir comes into the equation next year or possibly this year if He/Raps willing to extend... Is he willing to give us a hometown discount? He would need to...

-Ross, unfortunately probably the most likely guy to be left out in the cold if we were to make a run at KD, from an affordability standpoint...

-From the cap sheet I am currently keeping with the Cap Holds of DeRozan (14.3m), Ross (8.9m), JV (11.6m) we will have roughly 18m in space based on a estimated 70m cap... This projection does not include any deal for GV, PP, or Amir... It does not include D.Daniels ever being brought over... It also does not include the 2x 1st Rd picks we will have in 2016 either

Doesn't look encouraging at all, but i think if the raps are serious, we have 2 years to position ourselves for KD...If GV, Patman re up with us for 2 yr contracts (very questionable), and we decline the team option of amir this yr and do the same thing as we did with patman and GV we could take a run at KD.

But like you said there is alot of outliers like the picks and daniels, cap hits like bruno, bebe...not only that but the players union can opt out of the current CBA in 2016/17 right?

That seems like another potential good or bad thing....man just trying to dissect whether we would be able to get KD hurts my head, all i know is Masai has alot of damn work to get us in a position to get KD.

It's actually not all that bad really...

-In my projections, BeBe, Bruno, 2015 1st Rd are equated in & the 2016 picks won't cost much at all if they are late...
-8 players in all tacked into the roster so it's not as if we would be bare of depth...
-Have to remember that the numbers given for DD/JV/TR are their cap holds & not their 1st year salary
-A lot will depend on the development of JV/DD/Ross/Caboclo/BeBe... Do they taper off or continue to rise?
-If they taper off it's likely they're starting salaries will be lower then their cap holds, giving us more space
-If they continue to develop, & exceed expectations (especially in case of Caboclo), do we really need Durant?

Free Agency is going nuts this year... My initial thoughts were that if were able to lock Lowry into (10m), PP into (4.5m), & Vasquez into (3.5m) we would be in absolutely amazing shape to potentially keep most of it together... That's 18m for all 3 guys, although now it is looking like it might be closer to 24m to keep them all... Like I say 1-2m here, 1-2m there, & it starts to add up to real money...

In all honesty the most likely chance we have of acquiring Durant is via trade next year when he has 1yr left... If OKC doesn't make the Finals this year, I could see frustration starting to set in with Durant that he may look for a change... Utilize the space we have in 2015 & our numerous assets/picks to make OKC a great offer, as long as Durant is willing to sign an extension with us... Could be all a pipe dream though...

[rrdjutriurt]

Seriously i can't believe we even need to have this discussion! You have no choice BUT to sign both. What kind of message does it send if your too cheap to sign your own quality players. Go in the damn luxury you cheapskates. This team is young and on the rise. These are two of our studs. Vasquez is a big play player, nothing rattles that kid. Patterson, total stud. High time MLSG steps up!

[rapz101]

It is way too early to tell but If.... If we are really serious about making a run at KD in 2016?

-As much as PP is probably more valuable to us now, GV will be later (KD's friend)... Can't be paying PP 3yr deals at 6-7m per... 2yr sure but not 3yr... I think this is why we might look to R.Lewis as a possible replacement wouldn't need anymore then a 2yr deal which keeps the salary space open...

-Amir comes into the equation next year or possibly this year if He/Raps willing to extend... Is he willing to give us a hometown discount? He would need to...

-Ross, unfortunately probably the most likely guy to be left out in the cold if we were to make a run at KD, from an affordability standpoint...

-From the cap sheet I am currently keeping with the Cap Holds of DeRozan (14.3m), Ross (8.9m), JV (11.6m) we will have roughly 18m in space based on a estimated 70m cap... This projection does not include any deal for GV, PP, or Amir... It does not include D.Daniels ever being brought over... It also does not include the 2x 1st Rd picks we will have in 2016 either

Doesn't look encouraging at all, but i think if the raps are serious, we have 2 years to position ourselves for KD...If GV, Patman re up with us for 2 yr contracts (very questionable), and we decline the team option of amir this yr and do the same thing as we did with patman and GV we could take a run at KD.

But like you said there is alot of outliers like the picks and daniels, cap hits like bruno, bebe...not only that but the players union can opt out of the current CBA in 2016/17 right?

That seems like another potential good or bad thing....man just trying to dissect whether we would be able to get KD hurts my head, all i know is Masai has alot of damn work to get us in a position to get KD.

It's actually not all that bad really...

-In my projections, BeBe, Bruno, 2015 1st Rd are equated in & the 2016 picks won't cost much at all if they are late...
-8 players in all tacked into the roster so it's not as if we would be bare of depth...
-Have to remember that the numbers given for DD/JV/TR are their cap holds & not their 1st year salary
-A lot will depend on the development of JV/DD/Ross/Caboclo/BeBe... Do they taper off or continue to rise?
-If they taper off it's likely they're starting salaries will be lower then their cap holds, giving us more space
-If they continue to develop, & exceed expectations (especially in case of Caboclo), do we really need Durant?

Free Agency is going nuts this year... My initial thoughts were that if were able to lock Lowry into (10m), PP into (4.5m), & Vasquez into (3.5m) we would be in absolutely amazing shape to potentially keep most of it together... That's 18m for all 3 guys, although now it is looking like it might be closer to 24m to keep them all... Like I say 1-2m here, 1-2m there, & it starts to add up to real money...

In all honesty the most likely chance we have of acquiring Durant is via trade next year when he has 1yr left... If OKC doesn't make the Finals this year, I could see frustration starting to set in with Durant that he may look for a change... Utilize the space we have in 2015 & our numerous assets/picks to make OKC a great offer, as long as Durant is willing to sign an extension with us... Could be all a pipe dream though...

Yep i hear ya on the starting salaries of those players depending on how they perform etc etc

But if the raps go the trade route like you said the raps can give what? '15,'16, + Nyk '16 + ross and "??" for durant.. i highly doubt that nets us durant, and im begining to think that it is becoming a pipe dream when we actually sit down and think about where were heading and when he becomes a free agent... I just really find it hard to pay everyone and with the expected growth of bruno and bebe things might look alot different then we expect, and maybe ultimately we might not need durant...

but regardless if we need or don't need him, this team is still one or two players away from knocking on that finals appearance door, and if this durant gig isn't looking reasonable for us what other routes do we go?

We have cap space for the summer of 2015, but honestly there is little to no targets that take this team over the top and its looking more and more that were banking on the continued growth of our young core, but i have serious questions on how much growing this core can really do without another solid talent.

[Skeezo]

Yep i hear ya on the starting salaries of those players depending on how they perform etc etc

But if the raps go the trade route like you said the raps can give what? '15,'16, + Nyk '16 + ross and "??" for durant.. i highly doubt that nets us durant, and im begining to think that it is becoming a pipe dream when we actually sit down and think about where were heading and when he becomes a free agent... I just really find it hard to pay everyone and with the expected growth of bruno and bebe things might look alot different then we expect, and maybe ultimately we might not need durant...

but regardless if we need or don't need him, this team is still one or two players away from knocking on that finals appearance door, and if this durant gig isn't looking reasonable for us what other routes do we go?

We have cap space for the summer of 2015, but honestly there is little to no targets that take this team over the top and its looking more and more that were banking on the continued growth of our young core, but i have serious questions on how much growing this core can really do without another solid talent.

That statement right there is where you are dead on my friend...

-Our old GM would call it "Organic Growth" our new GM is calling it "Continuity"
-We legitimately have 3 potential All-Stars already
-Lowry needs to just maintain in his prime years (Health/Fitness)
-DD needs even one more small step (Ball Handling/Defense)
-JV hate saying it but truthfully our immediate future rests on him making that leap... Imagine 16pts/11reb/1.5blk... That's better then Noah & JV has the tools to do it

Those are 3 big problems teams have to plan for... An All-Star back court & a Legit Big Man is something most teams die for... They've shown they can do it, just need to live up to it... Now...

-If Ross can add (Strength/Consistency) & be that 3-D guy
-If Amir can just be (Healthy) & continue to be our Warrior
-If Patterson can add (Defense Rebounding) & keep licking the 3 as our Stretch 4
-If Vasquez can be (Happy) being a back-up PG & potential 6th Man candidate

That's a pretty serious 7-man rotation, with all the pieces & roles you look for...

Caboclo & Nogueira are unknown at the moment... We're reading & hearing upside, potential, but as of right now I can't call it. If they can become something, all the better for us but at least with the 7 guys listed above we have truly seen their skill set in the NBA on a playoff team... We know their strengths, weaknesses & where they could potentially improve to help the club & it is hard not to get excited about this unit & I've been a fan since Day 1... Add to the fact we have all our picks +1 going forward & very good financial flexibility... We may have the cap space to add to the team, but at the very least if the team develops right we know we can easily keep it together...

[rapz101]

Yep i hear ya on the starting salaries of those players depending on how they perform etc etc

But if the raps go the trade route like you said the raps can give what? '15,'16, + Nyk '16 + ross and "??" for durant.. i highly doubt that nets us durant, and im begining to think that it is becoming a pipe dream when we actually sit down and think about where were heading and when he becomes a free agent... I just really find it hard to pay everyone and with the expected growth of bruno and bebe things might look alot different then we expect, and maybe ultimately we might not need durant...

but regardless if we need or don't need him, this team is still one or two players away from knocking on that finals appearance door, and if this durant gig isn't looking reasonable for us what other routes do we go?

We have cap space for the summer of 2015, but honestly there is little to no targets that take this team over the top and its looking more and more that were banking on the continued growth of our young core, but i have serious questions on how much growing this core can really do without another solid talent.

That statement right there is where you are dead on my friend...

-Our old GM would call it "Organic Growth" our new GM is calling it "Continuity"
-We legitimately have 3 potential All-Stars already
-Lowry needs to just maintain in his prime years (Health/Fitness)
-DD needs even one more small step (Ball Handling/Defense)
-JV hate saying it but truthfully our immediate future rests on him making that leap... Imagine 16pts/11reb/1.5blk... That's better then Noah & JV has the tools to do it

Those are 3 big problems teams have to plan for... An All-Star back court & a Legit Big Man is something most teams die for... They've shown they can do it, just need to live up to it... Now...

-If Ross can add (Strength/Consistency) & be that 3-D guy
-If Amir can just be (Healthy) & continue to be our Warrior
-If Patterson can add (Defense Rebounding) & keep licking the 3 as our Stretch 4
-If Vasquez can be (Happy) being a back-up PG & potential 6th Man candidate

That's a pretty serious 7-man rotation, with all the pieces & roles you look for...

Caboclo & Nogueira are unknown at the moment... We're reading & hearing upside, potential, but as of right now I can't call it. If they can become something, all the better for us but at least with the 7 guys listed above we have truly seen their skill set in the NBA on a playoff team... We know their strengths, weaknesses & where they could potentially improve to help the club & it is hard not to get excited about this unit & I've been a fan since Day 1... Add to the fact we have all our picks +1 going forward & very good financial flexibility... We may have the cap space to add to the team, but at the very least if the team develops right we know we can easily keep it together...

love the positive feeling of your post and i also agree on much of what you said...however one thing I really enjoy about masai is what i bolded...he keeps plans B,C,and D in his pocket by keeping picks and cap flexibility something many of our past GM's have lacked the competence to do.

Now the million dollar question is, does this team, after everyone reaches their peak able to contend for a championship?

I say no, and i think Masai would agree with me, otherwise we would not have cap room and short term contracts on our rap sheet...But one thing thats different about this team is the flexibility, if something pops up, will have the flexibility to jump on it, thats a luxury very few raptor GMs were able to have...having said that this team does have a future together if our young core continues to growth, but as a fan i'd much rather prepare for the worse rather then assume everything good happens and thankfully Masai has done that, because we have cap flexibility and an abundance of picks for trade negotiations, once the opportunity presents itself i have faith will jump on it quickly.

[UK-Raptor]

If we ink these 2 I'm really liking how we are shaping up. Solid team and rotation with young prospects in Bebe and Bruno, capspace to come, 2 picks in 2016.

[Purple Forever]

Keep in mind that we have something that other teams will covet later in the season, ending contracts. We could decide to go all in this year and look to address our SF need through trade or sign and trade. Send an ending deal and a pick or two for who we need - not a lot of room for new picks on this roster now, we are in the mode to win soon.

[YoungD23]

If we ink these 2 I'm really liking how we are shaping up. Solid team and rotation with young prospects in Bebe and Bruno, capspace to come, 2 picks in 2016.

Is Bebe even set to come over for this season?

[Mr Fitzhume]

According to this article, we have no significant cap space:

http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2014/07/ ... moves-far/

If the Raptors took all of those steps to clear space, they would have $61,265,161 in player salary committed to 11 players (I’m including Caboclo here, but at 100 percent scale). That would leave them with, obviously, almost no cap space ($1.43M after the cap hold for a 12th roster spot at the rookie minimum). If I’m understanding the CBA FAQ correctly, to prevent loopholes the Raptors would effectively have no cap space. That dollar amount still matters for later tax calculations, but even at $1.43M under the cap the Raptors would effectively be left with only exceptions to sign players.

[Raps Militia]

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