Raptors GM Bobby Webster: "With the way players are growing and playing together it probably suggests less of a major move. It doesn't mean we don't get those calls and we're not talking about 'em, but I think the good vibes of the current group bodes well for the future"
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) February 8, 2022
On this day in 2004, The Warriors set the record for the fewest points in the 4th quarter with 2, in an 84-81 OT loss to the Raptors. pic.twitter.com/RrL7yerSa6
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) February 8, 2022
There is an opportunity this year, to be certain, but it might look a lot different if and when Kevin Durant is healthy, if the Bucks are more engaged and if the Heat are fully formed. Webster all but ruled out the possibility of a “major” move, which brings back an old Ujiri-ism: The Raptors want to give this core a platform to succeed or fail on its own merits, with some work on the periphery to help prop them up. While the Raptors might not be a legitimate contender to come out of the conference, they are certainly good enough to scare the holy hell out of a team or two that are, and there is plenty of value in getting this group that experience.
With that said, there are some obvious constraints, and flexibility, which define the Raptors’ activity.
First and probably foremost, the Raptors are barely under the luxury-tax threshold. As a fan, it is easy to scoff at this, but the Raptors have not had full home crowds for the better part of two seasons, and the Nets, Bucks, Warriors and more are among the teams going to make this year’s tax payout the biggest in league history. However, you only get your share of the tax payout if your team is not paying it itself. Whatever happens, the Raptors are not going to be in the business of taking on any more money at this year’s deadline than they are sending out.
However, that does not extend to future seasons. The Raptors have about $112.5 million in committed salary for next year, which covers their current starting five, as well as reserves Precious Achiuwa, Khem Birch, Malachi Flynn and Svi Mykhailiuk, assuming the latter exercises his player option for 2022-23. The Raptors likely will keep Dalano Banton on his lightly guaranteed deal. Last week, our Shams Charania reported that the league believes the luxury tax will be near $147 million next season. That means the Raptors can trade Goran Dragic (at $19.44 million this year, expiring after the season) for a player who makes less this year, but who is owed money next year. Even if the Raptors add a player making $20 million next season, they could still use the full midlevel exception to add to their roster in the offseason, or re-sign Chris Boucher and use the draft, other exceptions and minimum slots to enhance their roster.
In other words, they are in a use-it-or-lose it spot with Dragic’s salary slot.
With deadline upcoming, Raptors look to build on what they already have – Sportsnet
But the Raptors are in a unique position to add to that group which probably includes as many as seven players — the five regular starters along with Chris Boucher and Precious Achiuwa, versatile, athletic bigs who compliment the style the Raptors want to play and who Toronto remains enthusiastic about.
With Goran Dragic’s expiring $19.4 million contract and all their own first-round picks, Toronto is hopeful they can add a player that makes them better for this season and into the near future.
Dragic’s contract is an asset that expires in value on Thursday, lending an urgency to the Raptors pursuit of an upgrade.
“I don’t know about [having] to [make a trade] but I think it’s a unique piece,” said Webster. “There’s not many of them around the league. So, you get to be in conversations that you typically aren’t.”
And unlike last season when the trade discussion centred around Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell – franchise mainstays at that point – deals structured around Dragic’s contract and picks are simpler; no one’s feelings are going to be hurt and any kind of positive return should provide more than Dragic – who has been away from the team on a personal leave since November – or a mid-first round pick can give Toronto.
“This year it’s a bit more streamlined in a sense,” said Webster. “You kind of know what the major deal is, you know when you can add to it, sure, here’s some bigger deals or smaller deals, but it does make it a little bit simpler to kind of examine the team and realize that you’re not moving a major rotational piece that’s currently on the team.”
The Raptors are also open to taking on future contract obligations for the right player, said Webster.
Raptors to actively pursue depth additions at trade deadline – TSN.ca
Consider this: Through the team’s first 32 games, its five best players had only shared the court three times. Since January 1, though, those five – Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. – have played and started together in 12 of 20 games, with the club going 11-1 in those contests and 14-6 over that stretch.
There’s a lot to like, particularly from that group. VanVleet is now officially an all-star, and has looked the part for a while. Siakam, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, just missed the cut but is playing the best basketball of his career. Anunoby has quietly taken another step forward, especially as a playmaker and clutch performer, Barnes continues to put together a fantastic rookie season, and Trent is one of the league’s hottest scorers right now.
Suddenly, the Raptors – who were supposed to be in the very early stages of their development – are looking like a team that can make some noise in a wide-open Eastern Conference playoff race. Riding a six-game winning streak, they’ve moved ahead of the pre-season championship favourite Brooklyn Nets for sixth place.
President Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster have to like what they’ve seen from this group, but what have they learned from it and how does this recent run change their approach at the deadline, if at all?
“It’s the question of the moment,” Webster said on Tuesday. “Two, three weeks ago before we came together, I think we might have had a different conversation. I think we’re cognizant of what the team looks like now, but we also realize it could go the other way. So there’s a sense of optimism but also, what’s the overall timeline for this team? What were the expectations coming in, and are we ahead of schedule, behind schedule, or kind of right on schedule?”
If there was ever any doubt, there isn’t now; the Raptors feel really good about their core group, at least good enough to see how it fares over the stretch run before revaluating in the off-season. All five of those guys are between the ages of 20 and 27, and they’re all under long-term control. You never want to say anything is impossible in this league, especially at this time of year, but it would be shocking if any of them were to be moved this week.
“Obviously, with the way the players are growing and playing together, I think it probably suggests less of a major move,” Webster said. “It doesn’t mean we don’t get those calls and we’re not talking about them, but I think the good vibes of the current group hopefully bodes well for the future.”
“I think we have a solid core,” VanVleet said last week. “If we’re talking about building a championship-calibre team, we definitely need some additions, but that can come in a lot of different ways. My favourite additions are the guys that we have getting better.”
Rebuilding Raptors are ahead of schedule — but they should still be focused on the future | The Star
The 2020-21 season was about selling off assets. With the trade deadline just two days away, this year might become all about buying them back.
“Last year’s deadline, it was much more complex and complicated because of everything going on,” said Webster, who is trying to use Goran Dragic’s expiring $19.4-million contract to net an upgrade for his roster. “This year, it’s a bit more streamlined in that you know what the major deal is, you know what you could add to it. Sure, there are some bigger or smaller deals, but it does make it a bit simpler to examine the team and know you’re not moving a major rotational piece that is currently on the team.”
Raptors GM Bobby Webster should be focused on finding a piece that helps not only this year, but next, Gregor Chisholm writes.
There’s a lot of optimism surrounding the Raptors these days and rightfully so. They have won 15 of their past 21 and possess the third-best record in the conference since Dec. 1. However, the recent stretch doesn’t mean the front office is going to mortgage a promising future just to make the present more manageable, and why would they?
Teams are rarely as bad as they appear during losing streaks. They also usually aren’t as good as they look during winning streaks. The truth often can be found somewhere in the middle and so as the Raptors’ front office charts its path forward, they will have to be honest with themselves about how realistic it is to make a deep run in this year’s playoffs.
That’s why the Raptors’ ideal scenario would be to hedge their bets. Find a piece that helps not only this year, but next year as well, when Barnes is another year older, and this team has another season to grow. Failing that, the alternative would be finding a short-term fix that doesn’t involve long-term sacrifices.
To make it happen, the Raptors have Dragic’s expiring deal and a slew of draft picks to use in trade. If done properly, it could signal the official end of a rebuild that’s barely 12 months in the making. Not bad for a team that won just 27 games in 2020-21, two fewer than they already have this year.
One of the many positives to the current situation is that unlike a year ago, the Raptors know their core pieces are likely staying put. That means there aren’t as many outside distractions and the group can continue going about their business as normal until additional bodies are added.
Raptors Looking to Add Long-Term Piece
The Raptors want to be buyers at the deadline, but adding a rental isn’t in the cards.“It’s building a championship team, finding pieces that fit not only in the short term but obviously long-term,” Webster said. “By no means do we think that this is the final look and I think that’s why this week’s important for us if we can find a player that would complement that group.”
Expect a Raptors deal by the NBA trade deadline, but nothing major | Toronto Sun
As good as things of late have been with this team on a six-game winning streak and a starting five that is beginning to not just jell, but cement the ways they do things on the court, the sample size remains small.
“Two, three weeks ago before we came together, I think we might have had a different conversation,” Webster said. “But I think we’re cognizant of what the team looks like now but we also realize it could go the other way so there’s a sense of optimism but also maybe to your original point, what’s the overall timeline for this team and what were the expectations coming in now and are we ahead of schedule, behind schedule, or kind of right on schedule.”
It’s reasonable to assume that the team is a bit ahead of schedule if for no other reason than rookie Scottie Barnes is ahead of schedule.
The No. 4 selection in the 2021 draft was the pocket aces of a poker hand the Raptors drew for themselves on draft night. His progress has been a steady incline since training camp and, while there is still plenty of room for growth, the fact that he is on the floor at the end of tight games and impacting those games in a winning fashion for coach Nick Nurse at this early stage in his career is all one needs to know about the type of player he is on the way to becoming.
Barnes puts this team ahead of schedule as does the unveiling of Gary Trent Jr. as a legitimate two-way threat, not to mention the continued growth of Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, and the return of the real Pascal Siakam following a year and a half of uncertainty.
The questions are behind that starting five. As it stands now this roster does not have the depth to compete with playoff teams that possess solid second units. It’s like the Raptors going up against their own 2018-19 bench mob. They don’t measure up at this point.
That is not to say they won’t in time. Chris Boucher is already making a very solid case for being the consistent energy force off the bench. He’s been doing it basically since Boxing Day. Khem Birch and Precious Achiuwa are also showing themselves to be guys that can be counted on. For Birch, it’s a matter of health. Can he stay in the lineup and provide the toughness and veteran savvy he has around the rim?
For Achiuwa, the question is can his offensive game catch up the dependable nature of his defensive game. All things equal, the Raptors are much more happy to have his defence ahead at this point but there’s still more to unlock there offensively as well with a little more shot discipline and perhaps a little more patience.
Raptors head into the trade deadline with flexibility | The Star
While no one’s touting specific players with any level of certainty — and Webster and Raptors vice-chairman Masai Ujiri aren’t about to offer anything publicly — having that kind of asset is almost historical for a Raptors front office.
Dealing Dragic for significant depth pieces like a shooter off the bench, a veteran centre or a playmaker would allow the Raptors to maintain a core they very much like.
“I don’t know about have to (make a trade) but I think it’s a unique piece,” Webster said of Dragic’s contract. “There’s not many of them around the league so you get to be in conversations that you typically aren’t.
“You kind of know what the major deal is, you know when you can add to it — here’s some bigger deals or smaller deals — but it does make it a little bit simpler to kind of examine the team and realize that you’re not moving a major rotational piece that’s currently on the team.”
All of the speculation about adding is being done against the best stretch of the season for the Raptors, who have climbed to sixth place in the Eastern Conference and take a six-game winning streak into a game Wednesday in Oklahoma City. There are certainly gaps in the roster and playing only seven or eight players each night will at some point exact a toll so the Raptors standing pat seems unlikely.
“By no means do we think that this is the final look and I think that’s why this week’s important for us, if we can find a player that would complement that group, whether it’s positionally or even continues to look like one of those (current) players,” Webster said.
For the first time publicly, Webster suggested the Raptors would look seriously at adding contract obligations beyond this season or even next under the right circumstances. They are going to be about $30 million below the tax level next season and likely more the year after that, so turning Dragic and perhaps a draft pick into a player or two with non-expiring deals is certainly in their thoughts.
“Obviously having most of the core under contract here, it helps us there,” Webster said. “We definitely have the flexibility there, and even beyond.
“You don’t want to play the game of game-planning too many years ahead, because a lot of things can change in the interim. Definitely we do have some flexibility over the next year or two.”
Boucher’s improvement on the glass has been part of the Raptors doing the same as a whole. Before Jan. 1, the Raptors ranked 29th in defensive rebounding percentage, a blinking neon-lit warning sign. Since then, they have been 22nd, at least heading into Monday’s game, when they kept relatively steady in grabbing 71.9 percent of available defensive rebounds. Turning a massive weakness into a minor one is part of the Raptors’ defensive transformation from a bottom-10 defensive team before the new year to a top-10 defensive team since.
Even while improving their weaknesses, the Raptors — and Boucher — haven’t lost their strengths. The Raptors were the second-ranked team in offensive rebounding percentage before Jan. 1, and since then as well. When Boucher is on the floor, the Raptors grab 37.7 percent of misses. He saves many Raptors possessions. Defensively, he is solid, sure, but he still can pull off the spectacular.
Boucher’s $7.02 million salary is expiring, which makes him a potential asset at Thursday’s trade deadline. Obviously, if his salary is necessary to make a bigger, franchise-altering trade work, it has to be considered.
Failing that, it is becoming more difficult to imagine the Raptors moving on from him. The Raptors have thrived with him on the floor, and a need-for-need trade at Boucher’s level of return would be so peripheral that it likely isn’t worth messing with a good thing. Bringing him back in a similar role using his Bird rights, all while potentially maintaining the full midlevel exception this offseason depending on what they do before the deadline, wouldn’t be a terrible result, either.
In an unpredictable manner, Boucher is becoming yet another in the long line of Raptors developmental wins.
