The Toronto Raptors have no intentions to trade key players Marc Gasol, Kyle Lowry, and Serge Ibaka, despite the fact that they have expiring contracts which the team can use as trade chips to start their rebuild. It seems like they will be sticking with their current roster for now and see what happens at the start of next season.
The Raptors have no plans to trade vets Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka (all on expiring deals) ahead of the season, I’m told. As he’s done previously, Masai is expected to give his team an opportunity to sink or swim before choosing a path and deciding on its future.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) July 10, 2019
Twenty-two days after winning their first-ever NBA title, the Raptors lost two vital pieces of their championship roster as Kawhi Leonard decided to sign a four-year max deal with the Los Angeles Clippers while Danny Green signed a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers that's worth $30 million for two years.
Still, the Raptors are not in panic mode, and they do not feel the rush to rebuild. They still have a competitive roster that can contend for a playoff spot, but how far they will get without Leonard and Green is still unclear at the moment.
That is probably the reason why Raptors officials have decided to stick with the roster and see what they can do in the first few months of the season. If they rack up a lot of wins, then the team might decide to hold onto Gasol, Ibaka, and Lowry until the end of their contracts. But if Toronto struggles mightily, then that's the time that the management might consider moving them before the trade deadline.
The Raptors are giving whoever is left of their championship core the chance to prove themselves. After all, they have earned it.
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