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.”
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