Time to Move On From Lowry?
Alex Scantlebury mourns the four game sweep of his Toronto Raptors and makes a bold suggestion for the off-season.
It was inevitable.
The Raptors were swept out of the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs 4–0 by a far superior Cleveland Cavaliers team. This was the second straight year that the Cavs bounced the Raptors from the playoffs, with last year’s defeat coming in six games.
What Raptor’s fans weren’t expecting was the decisive beat down that they received at the hands of King James and his loyal subjects.
This year’s roster was far superior to last year, at least on paper. The deadline additions of PJ Tucker and Serge Ibaka added a much-needed defensive intensity. This Raptors team seemed poised to challenge the Cavaliers for Eastern Conference supremacy. But as we all had to painfully endure, the Raps were slapped around with an almost laughable ease by LeBron and the rest of the Cavaliers. There were not many bright spots throughout this series, aside for DeMar DeRozan’s career playoff high of 37 points in game three.
So what about next year?
After four consecutive playoff appearances, including back-to-back 50 win seasons, what direction will the Raptors go from here? Free-agency is the first big question. With four players about to hit unrestricted free-agency, the first moves the front office makes this offseason are going to tell us a lot about the future of the franchise.
Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Patrick Patterson and PJ Tucker are all about to test the free-agent market. With Lowry, and possibly Ibaka demanding near-max contracts, Masai Ujiri is faced with some tough choices. There is no way to afford them all while still adding the pieces needed to challenge Cleveland in the East.
I am a Raptors homer. It makes writing this next sentence particularly difficult. The Raptors need to part ways with all-star point guard Kyle Lowry.
Lowry will get max money this offseason, but the Raptors can’t risk that type of money on an aging point guard who is becoming injury prone. With Delon Wright, Cory Joseph and Fred Van Vleet currently under contract, the core of young players will serve the Raptors well if Lowry walks. Furthermore, with DeRozan and Norman Powell being able to score at will, there is no real downside apart from losing Lowry’s fire on the court.
Ujiri needs to resign Tucker and Ibaka, especially after losing Terrence Ross and a first-round pick. He needs to bring back Patterson because he is a stretch four with three-point range and great defensive capabilities.
Another move that the Raptors need to make is shedding the obscene contract of DeMarre Carroll. He was a top free-agent pickup for the Raptors two years ago out of Atlanta, but it just hasn’t worked out. The Raptors needed him to come in and be their top defender as well as a three-point specialist. He hasn’t lived up to either designation, often going cold from the floor for long stretches of the season. If they resign Tucker, they can trade away Carroll for next to nothing and still be in good shape. They can even toss in the colossal first round bust that is Bruno Caboclo for good measure.
The Raptors are stacked with young talent on their active roster. The 905, their D-League affiliate, just won the D-League championship. They have no major need to draft this year, which gives great value to their 23rd overall pick. If I were Ujiri I would strongly consider trading away the pick (with Carroll and Caboclo?) for an established role player who could fill a need for next season, specifically a three-point specialist. The lack of three-point production was the Raptors downfall during the post season, and it needs to improve if Toronto hopes to compete in the modern NBA.
As a Raptors fan, I am nervous about what next season could bring. After years of sub-par play, these last four seasons have been a well deserved respite for Raps fans everywhere.
I don’t want to go back to the cellar.
There are 3–4 years of championship contention left in Toronto, and that is only if Masai Ujiri plays his cards right this off-season. It’s sad to say, but the era of “Lowry Time” is over, and a strong focus needs to be put on the youth and athleticism that currently resides on the Raptors roster.
Alex Scantlebury is a multi-sport contributor for theocho.ca. He is a professor for the Algonquin College public relations program. Aaron and Riley would like to thank him for giving them an extra hour each week to spend on Bleacher Report while he was teaching. Follow Alex on Twitter at@pen_ink_page.
