Toronto Raptors: 3 nightmare scenarios that could ruin free agency

Toronto Raptors: 3 nightmare scenarios that could ruin free agency

The Toronto Raptors are embarking upon an offseason that will be one of the most pivotal in the history of the franchise, as their poor record last year has them staring at a fork in the road, with one path leading towards a rebuild and one towards a retooling in pursuit of a championship.

The Raptors have some major questions they need to answer. Will free agent point guard Kyle Lowry be back? Can they find a new starter at center after some poor production there last year? What will become of their bench?

As last year proved, the Raptors can’t just expect all the jigsaw pieces to fall perfectly into place. Things can, and will, go wrong for Toronto, as the last season has proven. The Raptors just need to make sure that they execute a few very key objectives.

If they fail to do that, they could end up once again rooted to the bottom of the Atlantic standings. These 3 outcomes would be horrible for Toronto, as it becomes even tougher for the squad to turn around and contend in 2020-21 despite having a draft pick as high as No. 4.

3 scenarios the Toronto Raptors need to hope never come to fruition.

3. No cheap free agent centers come to Toronto

The Raptors don’t have the best odds at landing Evan Mobley in the draft, meaning that they will have to likely opt for one of the centers on the free agent market. If the Raptors are in the mood for a rebounder or a shot blocker, they won’t be short on options.

In addition to a Raptor acquisition that hit the market in Khem Birch, players like Knicks defensive stopper Nerlens Noel and Bulls standout Daniel Theis could be in line for some paydays. However, the Raptors won’t be the only team vying for their services, and there is a chance that they come away empty-handed.

Daniel Theis making his mark in his @chicagobulls debut❗️ pic.twitter.com/2gpM2pYTlp — NBA (@NBA) March 30, 2021

The Toronto Raptors need to secure at least one center.

The poor production of Aron Baynes has been documented to the point of nauseation, and while Freddie Gillespie was impressive during his first NBA minutes, it’s fair to question if he can handle being a full-time backup center in the league at this point in his career.

Adding a new center is a must, and while the Raptors will have plenty of cash to splash at their disposal if they can fiddle around with the salary cap a tad, they will still have plenty of competition for some of these players. Solving the Kyle Lowry situation is the top priority, but getting a center is a FIRM No. 2 on the priority sheet.

Toronto Raptors: Jalen Suggs is the betting favorite to go No. 4 overall

The Toronto Raptors went from a team with the seventh-best odds at earning the top selection in the 2021 NBA Draft to a squad in prime position to add a game-changer with the No. 4 overall pick. In all likelihood, Toronto will end up with one of either Jalen Suggs, Evan Mobley, or Jalen Green.

While Mobley would be a transformational talent at the center position and Green has all the tools to be an elite scorer out of the gate, Suggs might be the most pro-ready player of that bunch, as his ability to make things happen as a defender, passer, and scorer will earn him a high selection in this draft.

The Suggs-to-Toronto pairing has been frequently cropping up among the mock draft wizards out there, as his style of play and the potential departure of Kyle Lowry appears to make the Raptors an ideal fit for him. Las Vegas seems to agree with those assessments, as the links between Suggs and Toronto are only getting stronger.

According to WynnBet, Suggs is listed as the favorite to get picked No. 4 overall at -165. Mobley is right behind him at +150, with Jonathan Kuminga nipping at his heels with +200 odds of coming to Toronto.

Jalen Suggs actually reminds me a lot of John Wall when he was coming out of Kentucky, @SethDavisHoops writes. “Suggs isn’t quite as fast end-to-end as Wall was, but he’s a better outside shooter at the same stage.” More from Seth and @KellyIkoNBA: https://t.co/OywZEjsY6L pic.twitter.com/cZ0AWVOpk7 — The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) July 16, 2021

Jalen Suggs is projected to be picked by the Toronto Raptors

Cunningham is the overwhelming favorite to be picked No. 1 overall, meaning he is a laughable +20000 to be picked at No. 4. That’s Las Vegas’ way of telling you this is simply not happening.

Green, who has +400 odds to be picked No. 4 overall, is a -150 favorite to be taken No. 2 by the Houston Rockets. Mobley, with -140 odds, is the favorite to be picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 3 pick.

Suggs is by no means a consolation prize for missing out on Green and Mobley. Suggs’ Bulldogs came one win short of running the table and winning the title, and Suggs’ 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.9 steals per game are a huge reason why.

If Suggs becomes an elite 3-point shooter, the Raptors will have stumbled upon their ideal Lowry replacement. A tremendous defender with quality passing, some insane speed with the ball in his hands, and the finishing at the rim to score effectively in the pros, Suggs’ physical toolbox is mouth-watering.

Considering that the Raptors were going to be nowhere close to Suggs’ projected draft range when the season ended, the fact they could lean on a super-young backcourt of Suggs, Fred VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr. will certainly make the fanbase happy.

The Raptors leaving what could be a very chaotic draft with Suggs in tow would be an absolute victory.

Raptors tease mysterious announcement with cryptic, key-themed tweet

Please allow me to conduct some investigative journalism.

On Friday, the Toronto Raptors Twitter account sent out this cryptic tweet captioned simply “July 23rd, 2021.”

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The graphic in the tweet features a rotating key that shifts between a number of the logos and emblems associated with the team as other items float in the background.

On the surface, this may seem like an impossible message to decode, but with a little help from Raptors Twitter, I may be able to narrow this down to a few possibilities.

Theory One: The Ujiri Theory

Toronto has yet to announce a contract extension for team president Masai Ujiri, but the executive has been operating as if he’ll be around for the foreseeable future, according to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange. The Raptors’ social media account may have sent this tweet out to tease an upcoming announcement on a new contract with Ujiri, something many fans have been waiting for. The beloved member of the organization has ushered in the team’s most successful era and is largely responsible for the Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship.

Masai Ujiri is re-signing? The Raptors are coming home? Just some nonsense NFT thingy? A cryptic tweet from the team’s official account is stirring speculation. (Twitter/Raptors)

Theory Two: The Return Theory

With the province of Ontario entering Step 3 in the reopening phase, sports teams are now allowed to play in front of spectators. Additionally, the province asked the Canadian federal government to open the border for the Blue Jays, and permission was granted Friday afternoon for the MLB club to return to their dwellings at Rogers Centre in Toronto by the end of the month.

My guess is the key in the video could represent some sort of key back into the country and city for the Raptors, who played the entirety of the 2020-21 campaign in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Theory Three: NFT Theory

I don’t know much about NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and to be quite honest, I had to look up what fungible meant. But they seem to be all the rage these days and this could be a hype tweet for a potential Raptors NFT release.

This cryptic tweet could mean one of these three theories, it could mean all three, or it could mean none of them. That’s all I got.

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