There’s an expectation around the NBA that changes will be coming in Toronto after the Raptors were eliminated from the play-in tournament on Wednesday, capping a disappointing season, writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com.
“I think everybody in the league knows that Toronto is going to be heading to a break-up,” an opposing executive told Bulpett.
It remains to be seen what those changes might look like. Three of the Raptors’ top six players – Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl and Gary Trent Jr. – appear headed for free agency; OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam could see their names resurface in trade rumors; and there’s no guarantee that head coach Nick Nurse will return.
“They’re going to get rid of some of their assets and just go in another direction,” a source from another team said to Bulpett. “Who it is, I don’t know. But I know that Anunoby’s name comes up all the time. Interestingly enough, Siakam’s name is not as well regarded as you would have thought. The guy gets buckets. He can score. But it do think he and Gary Trent carry the same label. They can score, but I’m not sure they help you win.
“VanVleet’s a player, and so is Scottie Barnes. Poeltl is a competent center. … Siakam is one of the better scorers in the league. And all Gary Trent does is make buckets. … I like their talent level. We’d love to have some of that. But together, what they have doesn’t work. It just doesn’t. I think Nurse has been around, and he realizes when the bloom is off the rose.”
For his part, Nurse was noncommittal when asked about his own future this week. He previously stated that it’s something he’ll consider and discuss with the front office after the season and reiterated that point on Thursday.
“(Raptors president) Masai (Ujiri) really wants to win. I really want to win,” Nurse said (Twitter link via TSN's Josh Lewenberg). “We’re driving to figure out how to get back to a championship level. Our communication is open and honest with each other. That’s all I can say there.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- While there’s an expectation that both players will turn down their 202324 player options, neither VanVleet nor Trent was willing to commit to that direction when they spoke to reporters on Thursday, according to stories from ESPN and the Canadian Press (via the Toronto Star). “Not too much rush to jump into a decision about opting out,” VanVleet said. “It will take some time.”
- Asked if he would be interested in discussing a contract extension with the Raptors this offseason, Anunoby expressed a willingness to do so, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “They haven’t come to me with anything (yet) and if they did I would definitely talk to them,” Anunoby said. “I love Toronto. I love our teammates. I love the staff.” The NBA’s new CBA will allow Toronto to offer Anunoby a raise of up to 40% on next year’s $18.6M salary instead of just 20%, putting the team in position to make a stronger offer.
- Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star argues that the Raptors are in the midst of an identity crisis and “need a serious organizational rethink,” while Eric Koreen of The Athletic conveys a similar sentiment, writing that the team is due for an overhaul from both a stylistic and personnel perspective.
- With the Raptors’ 2019 championship growing more distant in the rearview mirror, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca says the team needs to “mentally, emotionally, and spiritually” cut ties with that era in order to move forward. VanVleet doesn’t disagree. “I think we just got to find another identity, whatever that is,” said the veteran guard. “… We can’t try to do that by osmosis and try to carry over a championship from four years ago and expect to add that to a group that we have now.”
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star identifies five key areas the Raptors need to deal with this summer, starting with Nurse’s status.
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