NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Toronto Raptors

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 11: Michael Beasley #8 of the New York Knicks handles the ball during the game against the Toronto Raptors on March 11, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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The Toronto Raptors ran into the LeBron James wall, again. What can they do this offseason to finally scale it?

During the 2017-18 NBA season, the Toronto Raptors chugged along for 59 wins and the Eastern Conference’s top seed. They thought they could. LeBron James said they couldn’t.

After dispensing with the Washington Wizards in the first round, the Raptors stood by and watched LeBron do anything and everything a basketball player can do on the court. The games weren’t close. The results were sudden and definite. The team fired head coach Dwane Casey after the series. Then Casey received recognition as the NBA Coach of the Year, and the organization tweeted out an awkward congratulatory remark. Such is the state of things in Toronto, but there is always next year and hope springs eternal.

Kyle Lowry is 32-years-old and on the books until 2020. Overall, his numbers are on the decline. Having him among a team’s best two players is good enough for some things, but not for beating LeBron. The same is probably also true for DeMar DeRozan, signed through 2020, with a player option for the 2020-21 season. The Raptors can clearly stay good for a little while longer, but staying good is a very tough place to be.

The Raptors are cash-strapped, with 12 players on the books for next season at a total of $127,576,032, while the luxury tax threshold is slated for $123,000,000. In short, Toronto isn’t likely to spend and doesn’t hold the rights to many players who can be moved with ease.

Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas are both owed a decent chunk of change, but their deals are not outrageous. Delon Wright, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, C.J. Miles, Jakob Powell and Norman Powell all played 15 to 20 minutes per game last year, and all will be back. Fred VanVleet will be missed, but VanVleet’s contributions, as charming as they were, could not stem the tide.

And the question remains: Who can? The answer is probably not any of the names you are about to read, but a team must try something — or break itself wide open, something that will be much easier for Toronto in the summer of 2020, when only Powell’s guaranteed contract and DeRozan’s player option will remain. Until then, Toronto must tread lightly.

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