Why?
1) Do it by choice or be forced...yet again. Lowry is approaching wrong side of 30 and he has never put it together for a full season. derozan can leave next year for nothing or worse he gets paid the max. 6th man of the year is available to a playoff team in need of scoring punch via sign and trade. Do not forget this is not a young team despite what some say. The youth don't play and the youngest starters are routinely jerked around.
2) valuable trade pieces. The raptors have guys with value. Kickstart a rebuild with the benefits of multiple losing seasons....without the losing. The subsequent losing that follows is almost assured to be much shorter due to selling high in players in their prime.
3) For the first time in years there are not many teams actively looking to suck. Philly, Minny, and possibly Denver - that's it. NY, Sacramento, orlando, Detroit, Charlotte, Miami, Indiana, Utah, Phoenix, OKC - all lottery teams all either tired of being in the lottery or looking to put injuries behind them and get back to the playoffs. Boston, brooklyn, Milwaukee, New Orleans all looking to stay in playoffs and in case of milwaukee, New Orleans, and Boston - get better too.
4) With a DLeague team apparently coming next season, a great opportunity to maximize youth opportunity to play. Teams like Houston and Phoenix have routinely rotated a platoon of players to DLeague. Remember you can only have two players off roster in DLeague at one time but you can have players who you own the rights to.
5) the salary cap boom and hangover sure to follow. Everyone knows the cap is rising drastically next year and again the following season. Just as everyone rushed to tank for the draft class of 2014, everyone is clearing cap space for 2016. In 2018 (just 3 seasons away) the cap is actually projected to decline. What a great time to capitalize on the teams that spent like drunken sailors that is sure to make a sailor blush. The raptors could be in position to offer multiple max contracts.
6) capitalizing on the draft. Assuming lowry and DeRozan could return lotto picks, the raps would have 2 lotto picks this year, likely 2 lotto picks next year, plus Bruno, Bebe, and 20 this year. All of those contracts are going to be even bigger bargains in the new cap era.
7) the hardest position to fill is set for 5 years and he is just 23. Tying in the whole big men take longer to develop, JV is just turned 23 and will enter his prime with a cast of youth. If a better C is found via draft, you have a great trade chip.
8) someone is in charge who is finally going to exercise patience and keep the foot off the accelerator until it is ready. The raptors were doomed to a low ceiling (which they have now reached) as soon as they accelerated the rebuild due to timing with the expiration of colangelo's contract.
Making the playoffs is easy - that is what Masai said. I'm not content to just be a speed bump for the contenders. Time to build on a solid foundation.
1) Do it by choice or be forced...yet again. Lowry is approaching wrong side of 30 and he has never put it together for a full season. derozan can leave next year for nothing or worse he gets paid the max. 6th man of the year is available to a playoff team in need of scoring punch via sign and trade. Do not forget this is not a young team despite what some say. The youth don't play and the youngest starters are routinely jerked around.
2) valuable trade pieces. The raptors have guys with value. Kickstart a rebuild with the benefits of multiple losing seasons....without the losing. The subsequent losing that follows is almost assured to be much shorter due to selling high in players in their prime.
3) For the first time in years there are not many teams actively looking to suck. Philly, Minny, and possibly Denver - that's it. NY, Sacramento, orlando, Detroit, Charlotte, Miami, Indiana, Utah, Phoenix, OKC - all lottery teams all either tired of being in the lottery or looking to put injuries behind them and get back to the playoffs. Boston, brooklyn, Milwaukee, New Orleans all looking to stay in playoffs and in case of milwaukee, New Orleans, and Boston - get better too.
4) With a DLeague team apparently coming next season, a great opportunity to maximize youth opportunity to play. Teams like Houston and Phoenix have routinely rotated a platoon of players to DLeague. Remember you can only have two players off roster in DLeague at one time but you can have players who you own the rights to.
5) the salary cap boom and hangover sure to follow. Everyone knows the cap is rising drastically next year and again the following season. Just as everyone rushed to tank for the draft class of 2014, everyone is clearing cap space for 2016. In 2018 (just 3 seasons away) the cap is actually projected to decline. What a great time to capitalize on the teams that spent like drunken sailors that is sure to make a sailor blush. The raptors could be in position to offer multiple max contracts.
6) capitalizing on the draft. Assuming lowry and DeRozan could return lotto picks, the raps would have 2 lotto picks this year, likely 2 lotto picks next year, plus Bruno, Bebe, and 20 this year. All of those contracts are going to be even bigger bargains in the new cap era.
7) the hardest position to fill is set for 5 years and he is just 23. Tying in the whole big men take longer to develop, JV is just turned 23 and will enter his prime with a cast of youth. If a better C is found via draft, you have a great trade chip.
8) someone is in charge who is finally going to exercise patience and keep the foot off the accelerator until it is ready. The raptors were doomed to a low ceiling (which they have now reached) as soon as they accelerated the rebuild due to timing with the expiration of colangelo's contract.
Making the playoffs is easy - that is what Masai said. I'm not content to just be a speed bump for the contenders. Time to build on a solid foundation.
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