The Toronto Raptors are gifted sufficient to smell the play-in, but removed from the inside circle of contenders. The entrance workplace has been aggressive in securing expertise, however not essentially in constructing a long-term plan. This can be a crew that feels caught in basketball purgatory. They’ve paid premium costs for “good” with out figuring out how you can attain “nice.” Now, with the roster costly and the pathway to rivalry unclear, a shake-up could also be inevitable.
Massive Cash, Little Readability
The Raptors’ choice at hand Jakob Poeltl a three-year, $84.5 million extension feels steep. It locks him in till he’s 34 and got here a full two years earlier than he was set to hit free company. It’s unclear what the push was. Certain, Poeltl is coming off his best offensive season. Nevertheless, his defensive impression has noticeably declined since his San Antonio days. Ready one other yr to gauge his trajectory earlier than committing would have made extra sense.
Larger image, Toronto’s wage sheet is already overloaded. As issues stand, they’re a number of million over the luxurious tax for a roster with no clear All-Stars and no playoff sequence wins in 5 years. Practically each core participant is being paid on the excessive finish of the market. Think about that the Pelicans spent virtually a yr buying Brandon Ingram earlier than settling for a return of only one poor first-round choose. And but, Toronto gave him $120 million over three years.
Immanuel Quickley’s new deal pays him $130 million over 4 seasons. That is not removed from the $156.5 million earned by All-Star Jalen Brunson. The Raptors’ strategy lacks a transparent imaginative and prescient. They’re piling up solid-but-not-great gamers, overpaying them, and hoping one thing clicks. This offseason ought to have introduced course. As an alternative, it left the crew with extra questions than solutions.
Right here we’ll have a look at and talk about the gamers who’re way-too-early Toronto Raptors commerce candidates in 2025-26 season.
RJ Barrett: Productive, however Probably Redundant
RJ Barrett’s 2024 marketing campaign with Toronto was arguably essentially the most full offensive season of his profession. Averaging 21.1 factors, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, he displayed improved playmaking alongside his scoring punch. Nonetheless, his availability was a difficulty. He suited up for simply 58 video games resulting from accidents and private issues. The numbers are promising, however his 63 p.c free throw taking pictures stays a obtrusive weak spot, particularly for a major scoring choice.
The larger query is match. With Scottie Barnes entrenched because the franchise cornerstone, Brandon Ingram newly signed, and Gradey Dick rising as a younger sharpshooter, the Raptors have a logjam on the wing. Barrett’s $28.7 million wage for 2025 takes up priceless cap house for a crew already flirting with the luxurious tax. That’s a steep value for somebody who could turn out to be the third and even fourth offensive choice.
From a commerce perspective, Barrett’s worth is difficult. On one hand, he’s nonetheless simply 25, with a observe file of scoring in bunches and the potential to get even higher. On the opposite, his $57.3 million owed over the subsequent two seasons and his streaky effectivity could restrict the market to groups with a selected want for wing scoring depth.
If Toronto’s early season exhibits they’re extra play-in hopeful than playoff menace, transferring Barrett might be a approach to regain flexibility and recoup draft capital. His departure wouldn’t be a white flag—it might be a strategic step towards rebalancing the roster round Barnes and the crew’s true long-term wants.
Jonathan Mogbo: A Purchase-Low Massive Man with Untapped Upside
Jonathan Mogbo is probably not a family identify but, however Raptors followers who watched intently final season noticed flashes of a really intriguing participant. Drafted thirty first total in 2024 out of the College of San Francisco, the 6’9 forward-center blended defensive versatility with shocking passing instincts. His rookie yr hinted at a contemporary two-way large man able to impacting video games with out dominating the ball.
The issue for Mogbo isn’t efficiency. It’s alternative. Toronto’s frontcourt is all of a sudden crowded. The crew’s high 2025 draft choose, Collin Murray-Boyles, gives the same talent set with larger draft pedigree and an extended runway to develop. Poeltl’s big-money extension locks down heart minutes for years. In the meantime, Barnes occupies the 4 each time the Raptors go together with their greatest lineups. Even offseason signing Sandro Mamukelashvili provides one other layer of competitors for minutes.
For Mogbo, the depth chart is unhealthy information. For rival groups, it’s a possible cut price. His rookie contract is team-friendly. His mixture of dimension, mobility, and really feel for the sport may thrive in a system that offers him constant minutes. If Toronto doesn’t clear a path for him, the entrance workplace could determine it’s higher to transform his upside into draft picks or a positional want elsewhere.
The hazard for the Raptors is buying and selling him too early and watching him blossom right into a priceless starter elsewhere. Nevertheless, if they continue to be dedicated to their veteran-heavy rotation, Mogbo would possibly by no means get the runway he wants in Toronto. Typically one of the simplest ways to unlock a younger participant’s worth, whether or not on your personal roster or as a commerce asset—is to acknowledge when the match isn’t there.
The Larger Image
The Raptors’ present roster development appears like a deck of respectable playing cards with out the ace they should win large. Barrett and Mogbo symbolize two very completely different commerce prospects. One is a high-salary established scorer whose departure may reset the crew’s cap sheet. The opposite is a low-cost, high-upside challenge blocked by the crew’s personal logjam.
Neither transfer would assure a direct leap ahead, however each may assist Toronto outline its course, whether or not that’s retooling round Barnes or breaking down components of the roster for a longer-term construct. The 2025-26 season could have simply tipped off, however the clock on making these selections is already ticking.