The Toronto Raptors had a shot at defending their title and repeating as champions if the 2019-20 campaign wasn't suspended due to COVID-19. The team was in second place in the Eastern Conference standings, boasting a record of 46-18.
It was fascinating to watch the Raptors still play like an elite team despite the departures of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Pascal Siakam made his first All-Star squad and appeared to be just starting his dominance in the NBA. Toronto did most of its damage on the defensive side of the ball in 2019-20, as they had the No. 1 scoring defense — giving up just 106.5 points per game.
However, if the season gets canceled, Toronto president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster may have to make yet another unpopular move that could anger the fan base.
When Ujiri traded DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for Leonard in the summer of 2018, fans in Toronto were upset because they loved everything about DeMar on and off the court.
However, Leonard quickly won over Canada by playing at an MVP level during the regular season in 2018-19. He then became a legend in Toronto after guiding the Raptors to their first-ever NBA title.
With that being said, the Raptors should trade franchise icon Kyle Lowry this offseason, give the keys to Fred VanVleet, and get younger. Lowry is 34 and will make $30 million in 2020-21, after which he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Raptors would be wise to trade the All-Star so they can get something in return instead of risking losing him for nothing in free agency.
VanVleet was averaging 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists for the Raptors before play was suspended. Toronto has to re-sign the guard no matter what it costs since they were the ones who discovered FVV and developed him into the player he has become.
It would hurt the Raptors faithful to watch VanVleet thrive somewhere else after he made his niche on the NBA in Toronto.
VanVleet was making $9 million this season. As an unrestricted free agent, he is expected to get a huge payday. The Raptors, after getting off Lowry's contract, will have more money to offer VanVleet.
Lowry is arguably the best player in Raptors franchise history. He has career averages of 17.6 points and 7.1 assists with Toronto. It would be sad and shocking for the Toronto faithful to see Lowry get traded, but it makes sense given the timeline the team is on right now, with Siakam, Norman Powell, OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher and VanVleet serving as the team's core moving forward.
Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol will both become unrestricted free agents in the 2020 offseason. It’s unclear if the Raptors will have an interest in bringing either player back.
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