5 biggest NBA offseason questions that still need to be answered

2. The Raptors lost Kyle Lowry and Fred Vanvleet for nothing, will they do the same with Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby?

In the four years since the Raptors hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy, they’ve managed to win one playoff series and have lost two key players from that championship-winning team for nothing: Lowry and Vanvleet. (They’ve lost others too, like Kawhi Leonard, but that one was less preventable.)

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has notoriously demanded high asking prices for his players. Many believe he refused to include Scottie Barnes in any potential Kevin Durant trades, and he has frequently demanded multiple first-round picks for Anunoby.

Anunoby is a good player, absolutely, but he’s also never made an All-Star team. Multiple first-round picks are inarguably excessive.

The Raptors missed the playoffs last season and so far, it’d be inaccurate to claim that their offseason likely changed that.

They signed Dennis Schroder to replace Vanvleet, a good player but worse than Vanvleet. They also signed Jalen McDaniels, who fell out of the Sixers’ playoff rotation.

Their two best players — Anunoby and Siakam — are on expiring contracts (Anunoby has a player option, but it seems likely he’ll decline it).

Will Ujiri finally lower his demands and get some value for his forward combo and essentially guarantee the start of a rebuild for the Raptors?

Or will he hold firm and risk they both leave for nothing in the summer, just like Lowry and Vanvleet?

We likely won’t find out until at least the Lillard trade happens. Until then, the Raptors remain relevant.