This offseason was going to be a pivotal time for the Toronto Raptors. With a new coach at the helm and Fred VanVleet's free agency looming, the franchise had a choice. If they wanted, they could've used VanVleet's free agency to kickstart a rebuild. However, based on their given moves, it doesn't seem like that's the case.

After failing to retain VanVleet, the Raptors pivoted by signing Dennis Schroder as his replacement. Toronto also retained the services of big man Jakob Poeltl and acquired Jalen McDaniels from the Sixers. All these moves (and the moves they didn't do seem to indicate that the team is intent on competing next season.

While the front office believes that this is the right decision, one of their moves could backfire on them. Let's talk about the biggest mistake the Raptors made during the 2023 NBA free agency season.

Raptors' Biggest Mistake: Signing Dennis Schroder

The Raptors haven't made a lot of moves in free agency, unlike most other teams. Really, the three moves mentioned earlier in the introduction are the major moves they've did in the 2023 free agency. These are really the only three moves that we can dissect.

Signing McDaniels to a relatively short and cheap contract is a good idea for the Raptors. McDaniels showed promise in Philly, and taking a flier on a young player with a coach with a focus on player development. Keeping Poeltl around was also a great idea: the Raptors center was pegged to be one of the most sought-after bigs in the 2023 NBA free agency class. Last season's late-year success showed how pivotal having a reliable big like Poeltl is to Toronto's chances. That leaves the Dennis Schroder signing as the only deal that we can pick apart.

On the surface, the Dennis Schroder signing doesn't seem like a bad deal. Schroder is a solid player, a point guard that redefined himself from a score-first guard to a player that can be a great point-of-attack defender. He's not a lockdown guard, but he can make life hell for his mark. In that sense, he's similar to VanVleet in regards to their roles on the Raptors.

However, there's a couple of issues with the Raptors' decision to sign Dennis Schroder during the 2023 NBA free agency period. The first issue is Schroder's contract. Toronto decided to hand Schroder a 2-year, $25 million deal. On average, Schroder will earn $12.5 million per year. He will likely be the starting point guard for Toronto.

Schroder is a great player, but part of the reason why he was such a valuable player last season was due to his contract. 12.6 points and 4.5 assists on middling efficiency is great value for a minimum player. Give that same production to a player earning a shade over the mid-level exception, and his value starts to teeter on the edge of becoming an unwanted contract. Unless Schroder overperforms his production last season, this contract could be seen as a liability.

The second reason is that Schroder is not exactly a positive needle-mover for the Raptors next season. For all of VanVleet's faults, he was still the Raptors' best guard last season. He's had a couple of games that bailed out Toronto from certain defeat last season. Schroder, unfortunately, is not capable of that anymore. At best, he's a stabilizing presence, but not someone you can count on for a 20-point game.

Masai Ujiri has continually stressed that he wants the Raptors to be a serious competitor every season. Their decision to not trade for Scoot Henderson and give up Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby is a clear sign that they will be competing for the playoffs. So is their failed bid to keep VanVleet around. Schroder is another attempt by Ujiri to keep the team's dim playoff lives alive.

Does this mean Schroder is a bad player? No, not really. On any other circumstance, Schroder would an excellent pickup for a contending team. He would work well as a backup point guard for a championship team with a clear number one and two option. He had a great support system in Los Angeles, with multiple players able to cover for his deficiencies as a player (multiple shooters and players that can create for him and others). He won't have that same luxury with the Raptors: he'll be expected to have a bigger role than he had in LA.

If Schroder finds a higher gear than the one he had last season, then all of this criticism will be moot. For now, though, the initial analysis of the Raptors' Dennis Schroder signing is that it's a slight overpay for a player that is reaching 30 years old.