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Gone are Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, and yet the Toronto Raptors were still title contenders in 2019-20 before the season was suspended due to COVID-19.
The Raptors were in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 46-18. All-Stars Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry were leading the way on offense while Norman Powell, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka were anchoring Toronto's defense. The Raptors had the No. 1 scoring defense prior to Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert's positive COVID-19 test. Toronto was giving up just 106.5 points per game.
Raptors fans are obviously holding out hope that the season resumes since their team had a shot to repeat as champions. However, if the season is really finished, here are three moves Toronto president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster need to make once the 2020 offseason period begins.
3. Re-sign Fred VanVleet
VanVleet was averaging 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists for the Raptors this season before play was suspended. Toronto has to re-sign the guard no matter what it costs.
VanVleet was making $9 million this season. As an unrestricted free agent, the NBA champion is expected to get a huge payday. With Lowry getting older, Toronto needs to keep FVV so he can be the point guard of the future in Nick Nurse's stellar offense.
There are going to be a number of teams that are going to try and steal VanVleet away from the Raptors. Webster and Co. better be prepared for it. The franchise can't afford to lose this gem of a player that they developed.
2. Extend Norman Powell
Powell was making $10,116,576 this season. He's owed $10,865,952 next season and has a player option worth $11,615,328 for the 2021-22 season.
There was a time when Raptors fans wanted the organization to trade the swingman after he signed a four-year, $47 million extension with Toronto in 2017. However, after his contributions in the 2019 playoffs, Powell has once again become a fan-favorite in Canada.
Powell was averaging 16.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Raptors this season. He was shooting 50.2 percent from the field and playing solid ball on both sides of the floor.
1. Re-sign Serge Ibaka/let Marc Gasol walk in free agency
Both Ibaka and Gasol become unrestricted free agents this summer. Ibaka was making $23,271,604 this season while Gasol was at $25,595,700.
Since Marc is the older player with more miles on his body, it makes sense for the Raptors to re-sign Ibaka and let Gasol walk in free agency so he can sign with another club. Gasol only appeared in 36 games this season due to injury. He averaged 7.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
Hopefully, Ibaka will give the Raptors some type of hometown discount once free agency starts. The 30-year-old, who will turn 31 in September, was putting up 16.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists for Toronto before the season was suspended.
The Raptors and its fans will always appreciate Gasol for what he did for the team in the 2019 Finals against the Golden State Warriors. However, it just makes sense both financially and strategically to say goodbye to the Spaniard and bring back Ibaka — who is still an elite defender in the NBA.
Some believe Nurse was the front runner to win the 2020 Coach of the Year Award. After all, the Raptors were a stout team on both sides of the ball and this is after they lost one of the best players in the NBA in Leonard.
