The Toronto Raptors are in a death spiral right now, which might be just what the (front office) ordered.
Over the past week, the short-handed Raptors, playing without injured Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl and Chris Boucher, and with RJ Barrett stepping away from the team for a few games following the death of his younger brother, have completely collapsed in the face of all competition.
The Raptors were beaten by the lowly Detroit Pistons, then positively stifled in a home-and-home series with the Orlando Magic, averaging just under 100 points per game in two games with the surging Magic . Combined with the previous winless week, the Raptors have now lost seven straight games and nine of their last 10.
This losing streak puts them just a half-game away from the sixth-worst record in the league, with the Memphis Grizzlies’ 3-7 record in their last 10 barely allowing them to hold on to that spot. The Grizzlies may not really care if they’re 6th or 7th, but for the Raptors, that’s a huge difference in odds of keeping their protected Top 6 pick.
Other than losing, what happened for the Raptors last week? Let’s take a closer look at the latest edition of Raptors News and discuss the summer ahead and why the sins of the past could cripple the team now and moving forward.
At the 2023 NBA trade deadline, the Toronto Raptors zigzagged when everyone thought they should zig, trading away major assets for center Jakob Poeltl. There’s no doubt the seven-footer has helped their defense and even been an asset on offense, but that doesn’t mean it was a good idea to make a deal.
The Raptors have now committed to a non-shooting center, paying him a significant salary over the next four seasons. To earn the right to do so, they sent out valuable draft capital, including a first-round pick that could go seventh or eighth this year or next. Even more so, doubling down on competition last season instead of undertaking a rebuild meant Fred VanVleet was walking for nothing this summer and Pascal Siakam’s return, at least, fell short of expectations.
We took a closer look at what the assets involved in the deal look like a year later, and finally note a job This seriously hurts the Raptors’ flexibility in building their next great team.
