NBA Rumors: 1 Important question for all 30 teams as countdown to offseason begins

Toronto Raptors

Burning question: How far away is this team from competing in the Eastern Conference?

During the season, the Toronto Raptors made a conscious effort to pivot toward a re-tooling of the roster around Scottie Barnes. Before the NBA Trade Deadline, the Raptors traded both Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby in an attempt to add pieces that would fit better on the timeline of Barnes. The big question that the Raptors must ask themselves heading into the offseason is whether or not this team is ready to compete in the East as soon as this upcoming season.

The answer to that question could dictate how the Raptors end up approaching the offseason, while also setting the tone for this team heading into next year. On paper, it's easy to see that the Raptors do have a talented young roster. However, even after making the trades for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, there's still much that needs to be proven by Toronto.

While talented, it's clear that the Raptors still have some growing and development to do over the course of the next couple of seasons. The big question is, how soon will they be able to reap the benefits of pivoting towards building around Barnes?