2016-17 Toronto Raptors and General NBA Thread

[bluejays]

Got a mobile alert saying Indiana and the Raps were in discussions to deal Joseph. No further info available. Stay tuned...

I trust Masai, but I really really like Joseph as a backup on Kyle's days off.

[Senator Clay Davis]

If they can find a way to have Indiana take Carroll's contract then trading Cory is worth it. Wright and Van Vleet can handle the backup duties, and creating $25 million in cap space will be needed if they are actually going to bring back Ibaka like it seems they will.

[Drake]

@wojepsn:.
Source: Free agent forward Serge Ibaka has reached deal on three-year, $65M contract to stay with the Toronto... https://t.co/ATpQCWXQ36

[octothorp]

Reasonable value for Ibaka, but if they are planning to resign Lowry, it really does create a situation where they're deep into the tax unless they can dump Carroll, which might be hard to do right now without also giving up a pick or prospect. Sadly, moving JV is likely the much more doable solution to get back under the tax threshold. That said, since tax isn't calculated until the end of the season, they've got time to trade, but now is the easiest time to shed salary since many teams are still well below the cap and can take on salary more easily.

[OzSome]

I think it is time to part ways and trade Jonas. He is either not being used properly or he just plays like itty bitty games. He is a big guy 7'0" and can shoot but the Raptors is NOT using his asset as an advantage. I am sure he can score more points when they give him the ball on the post. Defensively he is so-so.
Or maybe the reason they are not giving him more balls on the post is because he is just not good enough. I have no idea what it is. I mean most of the time he is sitting on the bench especially late in the game.
So either trade the guy and get someone who can help the Raptors now or play him properly.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by OzSome

I think it is time to part ways and trade Jonas. He is either not being used properly or he just plays like itty bitty games. He is a big guy 7'0" and can shoot but the Raptors is using his asset as an advantage. I am sure he can score more points when they give him the ball on the post. Defensively he is so-so.
Or maybe the reason they are not giving more balls on the post is because he is just not good enough. I have no idea what it is. I mean most of the time he is sitting on the bench especially late in the game.
So either trade the guy and get someone who can help the Raptors now or play him properly.

Agreed. Personally I'd prefer to just use him properly, but I don't think that's going to happen. Might as well trade him for a centre that suits this group better, ie a defensive, rebounding monster who doesn't need to touch the ball on offense.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Lowry is staying. Sounds like 3 years $100 million.

[Drake]

@wojepsn:
Kyle Lowry has agreed to a 3 year, $100m deal https://t.co/U6Dh9Owcz2

[OzSome]

Originally Posted by Drake

@wojepsn:
Kyle Lowry has agreed to a 3 year, $100m deal https://t.co/U6Dh9Owcz2

I guess he came to his senses. I really think the Raptors is the best team for him to play. He can pretty much do everything he wants and he still a leader. Him and DeRozan are still the #1 and #2 and I don't think he will get that somewhere.
If he goes to Houston, he will also be a second fiddle to Harden. In New York, 2nd fiddle to Anthony and same goes to other teams.

[d_phaneuf]

thats a really good deal, props to Masai

[Machiavelli]

Well that's great news!

[Drake]

Lowrys piece for the PT. I only quoted bits and pieces. Click the link below to read it in full

When I had to make my free-agency decision, there was a lot going through my head, a lot of roads my mind was traveling down. Family, first and foremost, and what’s going to make them happy, and give them the best life. Basketball, of course, and where I’d like to play for these next several years. And then there was also the gut-check aspect — just what I was feeling in my heart.

When I got here, five years ago, there was a lot of rebuilding talk. A lot of,#Man, this roster, I don’t know … the Raptors gotta blow it up.These experts, I think they wanted us to trade this, waive that, tank this, draft that. That was most of the talk surrounding our franchise. And I was definitely one of the names being included in that talk.

So I kind of see this summer, then, as … it’s almost like coming full circle. We ended our season this past year with some disappointment. And that’s a couple of years, now, where — as exciting as it’s been around here — I don’t think we’ve reached our true potential. And you’d hear the whispers, you know, those same experts that were telling us to blow this up in 2013, there they are again with that same talk in 2017.

When I told my sons that we were staying in T.O., their reaction, man — O.K., I’m going to be honest: My youngest, he’s too young to care. But my oldest … when I saw Karter’s reaction, that’s how I knew for sure this was right. I could tell right away, just from the look on his face. I could tell that if we’d left … for him, it wouldn’t have just been about moving, you know, from any one place to another. It would have been a lot tougher than that. It would have been about truly leaving — leaving his friends, leaving his school, leaving this city that he’s grown attached to. We would have been leaving a place that is really just … you know, it’s part of our family now. We’d have been leaving home.

I’m coming back to Toronto because my heart is telling me that it’s home — and because staying home, for me and my family, feels like the right thing to do. My heart is telling me that this is the best city in the world, with the best basketball fans in the world. It’s telling me that the Raptors can be a championship-level team, sooner than later. And I’ll be honest (and don’t hate) — it’s telling me that I’ve still never had poutine.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/ky...-decision/amp/

[octothorp]

For a player as prickly with the media as Lowry is, it's really nice to see some heartfelt love for Toronto in that piece.

[Jason14h]

Great to get both on 3 year deals.

[St. Pats]

Hard to get excited / they end up with less than they had last with Tucker heading to the revamped Rockets. Plus they have to pay more for the same guys that flopped in the playoffs. Then to top it off they have to move their depth to avoid paying oodles of luxury tax. Only hope for improvement is internal growth. Of course the East sucks even more than it did last year so they will still win regular season games.

[bluejays]

^ yeah, it's definitely tough to say they're better than they were last year. Internal growth really doesn't happen over just a few months. I guess Masai's trying to prolong for another year and evaluate the landscape from there. Right now in the NBA I don't know how you put together a Championship team by not signing a big name FA or drafting them.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Well Paul Milsap has now signed in Denver, so the East is somehow getting even easier. I guess you might as well take one more run and hope LeBron gets hurt, and those terms for Lowry and Ibaka are extremely manageable so worst case scenario is you trade them both, and DeRozan in 18-20 months and start over, but you should do well. As Zach Lowe pointed out on in his FA prewview, half the league could be in the luxury tax a year from now. Interesting times ahead, could be even more trades next offseason so if nothing else Masai is protecting the assets.

[d_phaneuf]

To get next level anyways they need one of the draft picks from the last few years to step up

Delon and norm could both become big contributers next year which maybe makes a difference

Moves have to be coming as well, sounds like something going on with Joseph to Indy

Plus everything coming out is that Ibaka is going to play 5, and they have depth at big in siakim and poetl. Meaning I can see JV being moved soon which depending on the return opens up the MLE

[killer_carlson]

Because they are sticking with Casey, I am at the point where I think they should trade JV. JV is my favorite player on the Raptors but Casey has no clue how to run an offence with a skilled big man.

Let JV move on and let him shine.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Trading JV is inevitable, but finding a fit where they can get a decent return is not easy. His contract isn't awful in a world where Tristan Thompson and Mozgov make more, so I'd rather not just unload him for salary relief. Should be able to snag a good rotation player at least. Joseph is easiest to trade considering how cheap his deal is with two years left, so I'd be looking to use that to unload Carroll as well by packaging them in any deal. At that point the roster is certainly a bit worse but in better cap shape. You just gotta hope the guys you've drafted are ready to step into those spots and give you maybe 90% as good of play as the guys who went out.