The Raptors Got Worse This Offseason
The Raptors have been one of the better in the Eastern Conference, winning a title in 2019 with Kawhi Leonard. And the Raptors remained good in 2020, as they were one game away from an Eastern Conference Finals. The Raptors had a lot of key free agents this summer, and they had a tough job retaining all of them. Here’s how the Raptors got worse this offseason.
2020 NBA Draft
The Raptors had 2 selections in the NBA Draft, a late 1st round pick and a late 2nd round pick.
Malachi Flynn – 29th Overall
Flynn is a very talented offensive player. He averaged 17.6 points during his last season with San Diego State. He is a great 3-point shooter and can also distribute the ball. Malachi Flynn is a little bit on the smaller side, and a comparison to Fred VanVleet is valid. I like this pickup for the Raptors bench.
Jalen Harris – 59th Overall
Harris averaged 21.7 points as a senior with Nevada, as he was one of the best scorers in the country. He is 6-5, and can rebound quite well for his position. Harris shot 36% from 3 during his junior season, and he can be a valuable piece for this Raptors bench.
2020 NBA Free Agency
The Raptors had a lot of key free agents this summer, and they would have a tough job keeping them all. The Raptors would have to keep them all if they wanted to continue to contend in the Eastern Conference.
Resign Fred VanVleet – 4yr/$85 Million Dollar Deal
VanVleet turned into one of the key players for the Raptors. He was more of a role player during the 2019 title run, and he blossomed into one of the best scorers during the 2019-20 playoffs. He averaged 17.6 points and 6.6 assists with 1.9 steals. He shot 41% from the field and 39% from 3. VanVleet is one of the best players on the Raptors, and he is a guy that the Raptors want to keep for the long haul. Resigning him was the obvious choice.
Lost Serge Ibaka
Ibaka was a key piece of the Raptors bench as he offered some excellent rim protection and 3-point shooting off the bench. He was one of their better big guys this past season, and losing him definitely hurts. Ibaka fit this team very well and he was one of the veterans on this roster. Their bench got a lot weaker by losing him.
Lost Marc Gasol
The Raptors acquired Marc Gasol mid-way between the 2019 title season. Gasol wasn’t as good as he was with Memphis, but he was still solid. He can stretch the floor and is an excellent passer. He is a solid post defender as well. He started for the Raptors in the Finals and while he was injured for most of this season, he was still solid.
Signing Aron Baynes – 2yr/$14.3 Million Dollar Deal
Aron Baynes has turned himself into a solid center. He is a good shooter and can also rebound. Baynes is a solid option for a backup, and he might be a decent starting option. His defense is a little bit suspect, but he is still a solid replacement as they try and replace the holes left by the departing Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol. This is a solid pickup by the Raptors.
Signing Alex Len – 1yr/$2.2 Million Dollar Deal
And with the Raptors losing both of their front-court members, they also signed Alex Len in order for them to try and get something going down low. While the Baynes signing was decent, this was a bit of a downgrade from either of Gasol or Ibaka. The one solace to this move is that Len can play off the bench, which is better for his skillset. From losing of their frontcourt members, the Raptors were quick to find some replacements.
The Raptors got considerably worse this offseason. They acquired Fred VanVleet and a solid backup in Malachi Flynn from the draft. But the positives end there. They lost their best frontcourt members in Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. They got decent replacements, but those 2 are nothing compared to what they have. Now the Raptors, who relied heavily on Lowry, VanVleet, and Siakam in the first place, have to rely on them more. Siakam isn’t a true star and needs to be the 2nd option. But that won’t happen on this team as they don’t have a true star. The Raptors will still be a playoff team mainly because of the weak Eastern Conference, and they still have a top-3 coach in Nick Nurse, but the Raptors will not be in contention in the East.
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