Heading into the 2023 offseason, the Toronto Raptors are one of many teams that could head in a number of directions this summer. They’re now four seasons removed from winning an NBA championship, have missed the postseason in two of the past three years, and have fired Nick Nurse, only to replace him with Darko Rajakovic, another unproven coach.
The Raptors have several win-now pieces, with rising star Scottie Barnes plus OG Anunoby plus All-Stars Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. Yet the latter is set for free agency, and as mentioned, there’s been no indication that the Raptors are on the verge of being a Finals contender again after missing the postseason in 2022.
Hiring an inexperienced coach could be an indication that the Raptors are leaning toward falling back a bit instead of pushing their chips all in. There also haven’t been any rumors linking the team to a top player such as Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal prior to his trade. As mentioned, Toronto is truly a team that could go in any direction.
But they do have several valuable assets, such as the 13th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft in addition to the players mentioned above. So far, teams who have contacted the Raptors about potential trades for Siakam or Anunoby have been met with what’s described as a “frustrating” organization to deal with.
The report adds that other front offices are “pretty worn out on the attempts by Toronto to get ‘blood from a stone'” in any trade. Yet, teams continue to reach out, hoping the Raptors will lower their asking price for one of their current cornerstones.
With longtime president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster making decisions since 2013, the Raptors’ front office has years of experience working together and are all likely firmly on the same page regarding how they value their current group of talent.
While there likely are plenty of opportunities to shake up the roster, the Raptors aren’t in a hurry to cast off several of the team’s fan favorites this summer, barring an offer too good to refuse.
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