2022 Toronto Raptors Off-season Thread

[Senator Clay Davis]

"You miss all of the shots you don't take" and all that, but if this is the Nets expectation then I imagine Durant is staying a Net.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1545079152448917504

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

"You miss all of the shots you don't take" and all that, but if this is the Nets expectation then I imagine Durant is staying a Net.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1545079152448917504

They can ask but I don't think they have the leverage considering Durant wants a deal. Knowing him, he'll play hard at the start of the year and sulk until he's dealt. No way they get that value for him considering his age and injury history, not to mention his attitude.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Sounds like Ayton to the Pacers in a sign-and-trade is close to done. Cannot imagine Suns fans are gonna be too thrilled to lose Ayton and it not result in having Durant coming back.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1546513138434154498

[Hockey_Ninja]

The Jazz are blowing it up:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1547428959536553984

[Drake]

The Suns have matched the Pacers’ four-year, $133 million maximum offer sheet on Ayton.

[Harry Lime]

Man, I have not been paying attention to the off-season. So much money being thrown around.

As for Durant, two things that jump immediately to mind for me is that he is 34 years old, and decline is real for everybody, and salaries have to be pretty close to matching. I would offer OG, Trent, Flynn and next years 1st, and just let it sit there. They know what they can get, and the Raptors aren't gutting the team and taking themselves out of championship contention. If that offer just forces another team to gut themselves to top it, fine.

The Raptors saw what life was like without OG due to injury last year, and it's not crippling. If the on court swap is something like OG and Trent for Durant and Banton, that's acceptable. The added cost of a late first and Flynn (who has been blocked in Toronto his entire career), that's digestible, too.

If the Nets feel this is light... 34 years old. There is one, maybe two years left of prime Durant.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

Man, I have not been paying attention to the off-season. So much money being thrown around.

As for Durant, two things that jump immediately to mind for me is that he is 34 years old, and decline is real for everybody, and salaries have to be pretty close to matching. I would offer OG, Trent, Flynn and next years 1st, and just let it sit there. They know what they can get, and the Raptors aren't gutting the team and taking themselves out of championship contention. If that offer just forces another team to gut themselves to top it, fine.

The Raptors saw what life was like without OG due to injury last year, and it's not crippling. If the on court swap is something like OG and Trent for Durant and Banton, that's acceptable. The added cost of a late first and Flynn (who has been blocked in Toronto his entire career), that's digestible, too.

If the Nets feel this is light... 34 years old. There is one, maybe two years left of prime Durant.

I tend to agree, but someone will pony up more. Having said that, they got him as a free agent. How can they expect more? Seems nuts about the offers out there.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Their draft pick situation is quite bad in terms of owning their own picks/swaps for the next few years. Trading Durant and subsequently Kyrie and probably Simmons makes them one of the worst teams in the league immediately, which would be great if they had their own picks...so they need big time prospects or loads of picks to want to deal Durant. Even with a completely disengaged Durant and Kyrie they would be middling, so maybe giving up picks in the late part of the lottery or late teens. Without them they could give up multiple top 5 picks. They have made quite a mess for themselves and are gonna try and thread the needle out of it it would appear.

[Harry Lime]

Maybe I spoke too soon. If the answers are in the room, maybe just do nothing.

Just as Crawford predicted, Flynn certainly delivered, and then some, scoring a whopping 73 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 115-108 win.

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/rap...184004629.html

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

Maybe I spoke too soon. If the answers are in the room, maybe just do nothing.



https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/rap...184004629.html

Great. Bring his value up for a trade. While I can’t say if the Raps ruined the guy or not, on the NBA court he’s intimidated and takes bad shots. I personally don’t see a future for him here.

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by fleury

Great. Bring his value up for a trade. While I can’t say if the Raps ruined the guy or not, on the NBA court he’s intimidated and takes bad shots. I personally don’t see a future for him here.

100% agree about the intimidation. The guy showed nerves in every game. It's possible to outgrow that problem, though.

[octothorp]

My complaint about Flynn is that his offensive decision-making is so slow, and that goes so heavily against the speed that the team wants to play at. I'd be curious to see him used as more of a SG especially in units with Siakam or Barnes, where one of those guys is the primary ball-handler and Flynn is operating off-ball, and can function more as a catch-and-shoot guy. His shot wasn't there last year (especially when coming off the bench), but IMO that's his best chance for carving out an NBA role.

End of the Raptors bench is starting to look a little more clear: Dowtin and Harper signed to two-ways, Champagnie, Brooks, Banton and Wilson all on non-guaranteed deals, and probably only 3 roster spots for those 4 guys. I'd be surprised if Banton and Champagnie don't get two of the spots. And Svi's contract is small enough that it's totally possible he gets bought-out to make room for one of the others.

[bluejays]

Now we know why Adam Sandler’s been in Toronto recently:

https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-raptors-s...omez-1.1829446


Plan the parade

[Strange Brew]

I didn't realize that Chip Engelland was an NBA shot whisperer. I remember him well from the 88's and yeah he could do one thing incredibly well. Shoot the basketball.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ch-sources-say

Reminds me of another guy from way way back. He could score from anywhere.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Tilleman

[Hockey_Ninja]

RIP to one of the greatest athletes of all time

https://twitter.com/user/status/1553790050839588865

[Hockey_Ninja]

Looks like there’s gonna be some firings in Brooklyn soon

https://twitter.com/user/status/1556710971569315845

[octothorp]

It's comical given that Nash was by all accounts Durant's choice, and Marks has done everything to accommodate Durant up until not giving Kyrie a max extension. I could see the Nets replacing Nash... but with who? They clearly need an experienced coach, and what experienced coach wants to put up with their BS? Maybe Terry Stotts?

Firing Marks is a whole other matter... he's genuinely one of the best young GMs out there, and the only blotches on his record (like signing DeAndre Jordan or getting cornered into a Harden-trade) were things that were demanded or necessitated by Kyrie and Kevin. I'm not sure exactly how the Nets extricate themselves from this scenario, but I absolutely would not drop Marks, with no way to guarantee that Durant will shut up and let the next GM do his job.

[Senator Clay Davis]

What decent coach is going to want to go somewhere where at least one player is guaranteed to have more power than him? And it's pretty crazy how much Durant has totally torched his rep going back to 2016. Still a legend and HOFer, but from one of the league's most popular players to probably the least liked is a crazy fall.

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by octothorp

It's comical given that Nash was by all accounts Durant's choice, and Marks has done everything to accommodate Durant up until not giving Kyrie a max extension. I could see the Nets replacing Nash... but with who? They clearly need an experienced coach, and what experienced coach wants to put up with their BS? Maybe Terry Stotts?

Firing Marks is a whole other matter... he's genuinely one of the best young GMs out there, and the only blotches on his record (like signing DeAndre Jordan or getting cornered into a Harden-trade) were things that were demanded or necessitated by Kyrie and Kevin. I'm not sure exactly how the Nets extricate themselves from this scenario, but I absolutely would not drop Marks, with no way to guarantee that Durant will shut up and let the next GM do his job.

Realistically how many years are left for durant to be elite? Three at best? Personally if I were ownership there’s no chance I allow a guy that old to dictate these types of terms. I don’t understand how star players in basketball dictate things like this then bitch when it doesn’t work out. Anyway, talent is one thing but to give ultimatums is not worth it imo. He’s a ####ty human being with a short career left ahead. Dealing him with a slighter discount makes so much sense. Can’t have players pulling the power play. These scenarios anger me.

[bluejays]

One other thought is Brooklyn was well within their right to ask for the world, but this scenario was bound to happen when he wasn’t dealt. They have to lower the price for him. It’s clear no gm will pay the rumoured asking prices but there’s no way he’s still with the team in a couple months. There are loads of sucker gm’s out there trying to save their jobs. Just have to find one with a fair price.