The Toronto Raptors are coming off the best season in franchise history. The Raptors set a franchise-record with 56 wins to finish one game back of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the best mark in the Eastern Conference in the regular season and then won a pair of Game 7’s en route to the Eastern Conference Finals in which they pushed Cleveland to six games before they were eliminated. Toronto has made strides in the right direction over the past couple of years but they will have to carry that momentum in to what should be a busy offseason as they look to continue to build a championship caliber team. Here is a look at the top four offseason priorities for the Raptors this offseason.
Sign DeMar DeRozan To A Long Term Contract
General manager Masai Ujiri admitted after Toronto’s playoff elimination that at the top of his list of offseason priorities is bringing DeRozan back. An escalating salary cap combined with a severe lack of available talent at the position means DeRozan will command big money as a free agent and it will be on Ujiri to make the decision on whether he is worth giving a max contract. DeRozan struggled at times in the playoffs but he played at an elite level during the regular season and in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavaliers to prove that he can be a key piece on a contending team. DeRozan led the Raptors with 20.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in the postseason and a 26-years-old it makes sense to sign him to a long term deal in order to keep the All-Star tandem of he and Kyle Lowry together.
Add An Impact Player At The NBA Draft
Ujiri talked about adding another power forward and a reserve small forward this offseason and he would be smart to make a move for a star player that could really make a difference for Toronto at either position. The Raptors will be in an excellent position to add an impact player at the NBA Draft where they will hold the No. 9 and No. 27 overall picks. It will be interesting to see what Ujiri decides to do with those picks with several options on the table. Toronto can sit on those picks and draft the best available player or package them together in order to move up and grab one of the top players on their board but the best option might be to move both picks in order to bring in a veteran that can contribute right away. The Raptors made it to within two wins of the NBA Finals this season and at this point it makes more sense to address their immediate needs with another star player than staying put in the NBA Draft. How they use their top draft pick is one of their major offseason priorities.
Find A Way To Keep Bismack Biyombo
Biyombo emerged as a key contributor for Toronto in the playoffs, particularly after Jonas Valanciunas went down with an ankle injury. Biyombo averaged 6.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.35 blocks per game and his energy and defensive play provided the Raptors with a needed edge in their wins. The rest of the NBA undoubtedly took notice and there was a lot of talk about teams potentially line up to sign Biyombo at a significant price. Toronto will be in tough to keep Biyombo with Jonas Valanciunas already slated to start at center but it would be a major coup if they can find a way to keep the 23-year-old center in the mix as a perfect complement to JV off the bench.
Add A Pure Shooter That Can Stretch The Floor
One of the biggest issues for the Raptors in the playoffs was their lack of pure shooters that can consistently and efficiently stretch the floor with their shooting from the outside. That makes this one of their major offseason priorities. As a team, Toronto hit just 29-percent of its three-point attempts in the postseason for an average of 6.9 three-point shots per game. That is not nearly good enough for a team that wants to contend with the Cavaliers for Eastern Conference supremacy and it’s an area the Raptors will want to address this offseason. Lowry, DeRozan and Valanciunas represent a solid core to build around and if Toronto can add a star power forward and a wing that can stretch the floor with the three-ball in the offseason then they will move one step closer to contending for a championship in 2016-17.
