NBA Rumors: There’s a growing expectation that the Toronto Raptors will end up rebuilding around Scottie Barnes this offseason.
One of the bigger questions heading into the offseason revolves around what the Toronto Raptors will do. With two of their key players, Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr., set to hit the free agency market, a lot of their other moves could be linked to decisions made on those two players.
And many of the other moves made across the rest of the league could very well be impacted by the Raptors’ offseason decisions. To say that the Raptors are big players heading into the offseason would be an understatement.
All eyes will be on the Raptors over the next couple of weeks. However, the organization may have already tipped its hand on what they plan on doing this summer. According to a recent report, there is a growing belief around the league that VanVleet and Trent won’t be back on the Raptors leading to the team pivoting toward a rebuild around Scottie Barnes and other young pieces on the roster.
At least in my opinion, the key part of this reporting is the part that says there could be other deals made leading up to the NBA Draft. That leaves me to believe that there’s a chance that Toronto trades OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, or both. And if the Raptors are open to such a scenario, it could only add to the intrigue heading into the offseason.
The Toronto Raptors may not blow it all up
Just because the Raptors could be pivoting toward a “rebuild” around some of their younger talent, that doesn’t automatically mean they’re going to trade away Anunoby and Siakam. While I do believe that there’s a very real chance that the Raptors could trade one, I’d be extremely surprised if they moved both of them.
And I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they decided to keep both on board. Maybe that defeats the purpose of a “rebuild” around Barnes, but there have been many times in NBA history when teams pivoted toward a young build while also keeping some of their veteran players to help in the process.
That may or may not end up being the case for the Raptors. Either way, no matter who the team ends up moving, it’s pretty clear that they should expect some changes to the roster. And perhaps big ones.