The Raptors’ season ended in disappointing fashion with a third straight postseason exit at the hands of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. This time, it was a second round exit in the form of a demoralizing sweep capped off by a 128-93 loss in Game 4.
There are some significant decisions that need to be made in Toronto about their future, but none of the questions being begged of the Raptors have easy answers. Masai Ujiri will have to determine if this roster, as constructed, can develop and compete against the East’s best teams (read: wherever LeBron is) or whether he needs to deal one of his stars to shuffle things around in the locker room.
The biggest problem with a shake up is that it’s hard to imagine them getting all that much better in a trade. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry both could fetch quality players, but there are few legit superstars on the market. If they stand pat with the roster as is, and the only way to change it is through trades, then it has to be a matter of philosophy that changes in Toronto.
Coach Dwane Casey and his staff have done a phenomenal job developing young talent in Toronto, and this year, he was complimented for finally evolving his style of play to be more like the rest of the modern NBA game. However, that might not be enough as Josh Lewenberg of TSN reports Ujiri and the Raptors are “leaning” towards making a coaching change this summer.
With his team fresh off another disappointing postseason exit, Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has some hard decisions to make over the coming months. Head coach Dwane Casey is expected to be the first domino to fall.
The evaluation period is ongoing but, according to sources, the Raptors are strongly leaning towards making a coaching change.
It would be a fairly stunning move considering the success Casey has had in Toronto and that he’s a legitimate candidate for Coach of the Year in the NBA, but if Ujiri is insistent that the roster he put together is the right one, then this tends to be the move a front office makes to preserve itself.
Casey would not be out of a job for long if he wanted to keep coaching, especially with multiple jobs open right now around the league, and it would be interesting to see who Toronto targets as his replacement. To ensure they get the best candidates, they’ll likely want to move soon if this is indeed the case, because the Bucks job is, right now, the most intriguing in the NBA. But if Toronto opens up, they would become the top priority for the elite coaching candidates.
