Offseason Mailbag: Draft targets, trading everyone, and cap realities | Raptors Republic
I would not, no. I love Biyombo, but Valanciunas is a better player at this point and has more upside to continue to tap into. If it were a situation where the Raptors could deal Valanciunas for assets, and the whole of the team was made better, then sure – Biyombo opens up a ton on the defensive end and can be managed around on offense, especially with spacier lineups. Unfortunately, in order to sign Biyombo, the Raptors would have to deal Valanciunas for the resultant cap space, picks, and the trade exception it would create, which would leave the team in a worse place overall than if they just let Biyombo walk.
Canada bringing most of training camp roster to Italy for tune-up | Raptors Republic
How the roster may look when trimmed to 12 is tough to figure. Even if Thompson is added, the group leaves a little something to be desired, as discussed at length last week. Notable by their absence are Dwight Powell and Andrew Nicholson (free agents, and thus unlikely to be insured in time), Jamal Murray and Kyle Wiltjer (going through the draft process and likewise unlikely to be insured in time), Kelly Olynyk (injured), Nik Stauskas (chose not to participate), Trey Lyles (a little strange), Robert Sacre (boogie fever), and of course, Andrew Wiggins, who has opted to focus on the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer.
Additions can still be made, including for the Olympics, should Canada qualify. That’s perhaps a bit of a long-shot, though, as Canada will have to win their Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the Philippines outright to punch their ticket to Brazil. That event takes place July 4-10 and will require Canada to topple the host, Turkey, France, and more.
As a tune-up for that event, Canada now heads to Italy for a five-game exhibition tournament that begins Monday. As a programming note, we won’t cover those tune-up games (though we may do a post-tournament wrap), but we’ll have recaps for the Qualifying Tournament games.
Social Recap: Raptors Players Thank Fans For An Incredible Season | Toronto Raptors
In the immediate aftermath, the emotions were too fresh. After Cleveland’s Game 6 victory to close out Toronto’s franchise-best season, Raptors fans were on their feet, Raptors players were raising them arms to express their thanks, and then later, struggling to put into words all that the season had meant.
Through 56 regular-season wins, 20 postseason games, two Game 7 victories and Toronto’s first time playing host to NBA All-Star weekend, fans have been there. Inside the arena, outside the arena, across the country and beyond, fans were unwavering in support of their team. In the days and weeks that followed that emotional send-off, Raptors players took to social media to show their appreciation of the support and the season they had accomplished together:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGwIkipJww0/
What can the Lakers expect from Jesse Mermuys? | Silver Screen and Roll
The biggest thing Mermuys brings to the table is player development. Even in just a single year, the 905 experiment proved remarkably valuable from that standpoint. Axel Toupane played his way into an NBA contract, Greg Smith was able to re-establish himself as an NBA player, Ronald Roberts had himself on the cusp of a call-up before injury struck, Norman Powell improved a great deal as a playmaker, Delon Wright’s pick-and-roll defense improved, and Bruno Caboclo took strides (although he’s still far away) across the board. Even Davion Berry, acquired at the trade deadline, took off in just 10 games with the club.
How much of that is scouting and how much is coaching is unclear (Mermuys was also the team’s assistant general manager), but given the individual improvements, particularly with Toupane and Powell, it’s easy to get excited about what Mermuys may be able to do with the Lakers’ young core.
He’s also unrelentingly positive and seems, from the outside, like a natural fit with Luke Walton
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NBA Draft Prospect Preview: Domantas Sabonis, the Next Big Thing From Lithuania | Raptors HQ
Assuming Bismack Biyombo departs for a lucrative contract in free agency, the Raptors are going to have a hole to fill behind Jonas Valanciunas at the five. Valanciunas is in the middle of breaking out, which means drafting a centre may not be necessary. Power forward was the weakest link for the Raptors this year, and the high draft pick provides Toronto with a rare opportunity to select a talented player that can anchor the spot for years.
Prior to the draft, Sabonis rejected the offer to participate in the NBA Draft Combine. He participated in pre-draft workouts for the Raptors, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz.
A Sabonis-Valanciunas pairing would be especially awesome considering the basketball-crazed nation they both hail from. At his workout on June 6, Sabonis told the Toronto media “In Lithuania, we say basketball is our religion.” Side note: If you haven’t seen the documentary on Lithuania’s 1992 national basketball team, The Other Dream Team, go fire up your Netflix right now and watch it. It’s phenomenal, plus it features a young JV!
NBA Mock Draft V2.0: Raptors grab best player available | Sportsnet.ca
Jaylen Brown, SF, California
Yes, the Raptors need a power forward more than anything else, and yes there are plenty who will be available here. But what they really need is a veteran power forward—or at least a starting-quality player at the position. You won’t find that at No. 9, where any PFs remaining require more than a bit of seasoning. Which opens the door to simply picking the best player available. In this case, that would be Brown, an elite athlete who projects to be a terrific defender capable of filling the lane on the other end of the floor. Toronto may not be altogether sold on Terrence Ross and GM Masai Ujiri has mentioned wanting to shore up depth at small forward this offseason. Brown gives you depth today with starter-potential down the line. Worth noting: the Raptors would likely prefer to trade this pick. But in a somewhat shallow draft year, it’s hard to imagine the pick carrying a ton of value, which could lead Ujiri & Co. to hang on to it.
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Who’s the draft choice for Raptors at #27? | Raptors Rapture
One of the hallmarks of great management is the ability to consider the organization’s future, both short- and long-term, simultaneously. Let’s grab a stud rookie at #9, and a project at #27.
I can’t see Maker still being around when it’s our turn. Watch for Boston to grab him with their third first-round pick, #23. Stone is too tempermental; Masai won’t chose a hothead. The Serbian kid – maybe, but I can’t sit on the fence.
Cheick Diallo, we hope to see you sporting a Raptors cap on June 23.
Playing Keep or Trade with Every Lottery Pick in 2016 NBA Draft | Bleacher Report
Do the Denver Nuggets hang up the phone if Toronto is peddling No. 9 and Ross as fundamental framework for a Danilo Gallinari deal? Does Patterson, Ross and Nos. 9 and 27 give the Jazz enough cause to part with Favors?
After sniffing the NBA Finals, even if superficially so, those are the types of impact players on which the Raptors must set their sights. They have enough young talent for a contending team in Bruno Caboclo, Norman Powell and Lucas Nogueira, and using the ninth pick to replace free agent goner Bismack Biyombo, while not unreasonable, doesn’t move the needle.
2016 Offseason Preview: Toronto Raptors | RealGM Analysis
In the draft, Toronto has two picks at 9 and 27. The earlier pick is courtesy of the Knicks’ gamble on Andrea Bargnani, which has turned into one of the more lopsided picks of recent memory. They need to fill their PF hole with a long-term answer that fits next to Valanciunas and can grow as the rest of the roster ages. They seem to have missed on their gamble from a couple of years ago, Bruno Caboclo, as he hasn’t shown the development the team wanted to see, playing in only 14 NBA games in two years. He is still very young however, turning 21 just before the season starts, so the Raptors still have hope he may develop into something.
Given the fact that Toronto signed both Valanciunas and Ross last summer, and their clear desire to bring back DeRozan, this may be a relatively quiet for Masai Ujiri. Adding a quality piece in the draft and finding some veterans to fill out the roster in addition to a re-signed DeRozan would be a successful offseason. That should be enough to leave the Raptors as contenders in the Eastern Conference, with hopes that unexpected development could push them past Cleveland and into the Finals.
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