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VanVleet Hoping To "Cash Out" In Free Agency; Raptors Working To Stay In Toronto For 2020/21

November 11th, 2020 at 7:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Though the Raptors prefer to host their home games for the 2020/21 season in Toronto, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca notes that the decision will ultimately be made by the Canadian government. The federal officials at the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Ottawa Citizenship, who oversee travel regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic, may hesitate to make a special exemption on extant 14-day quarantine requirements for new arrivals into the country just to accommodate visiting U.S.-based NBA personnel.

With the draft and free agency scheduled for next week, plus an expected lift on the current pause on trades, time is running out for Raptors ownership to keep Toronto in Toronto.

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, one of the top free agents during the 2020 offseason, stated on J.J. Redick and Tommy Alter’s podcast The Old Man And The Three that money will be important in his offseason decision-making. He elaborated on the matter, per Joshua Howe of Sportsnet.ca. “I’m trying to get paid, man,” VanVleet said. “I won a championship and now it’s time to cash out.”

Why Raptors Could Benefit From Draft And Stash 2020 Strategy

November 10th, 2020 at 6:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Raptors might be well-served to consider using either their No. 29 or No. 59 pick during the 2020 draft as a “draft-and-stash” option, selecting a player they know won’t arrive in the NBA until at least the 2021/22 season, writes Blake Murphy of The Athletic.

Limited rotation space for unproven players, the expected development of current Toronto youth, and the compressed offseason are all factors that could point to the draft-and-stash route, Murphy notes. The Raptors face some interesting offseason options, with key role players Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka entering free agency.

Raptors Officials Visit Nashville, Still Seeking Temporary Home

November 8th, 2020 at 5:58pm CST by JD Shaw

The Raptors have a number of questions to answer this offseason, including where the team will play during the 2020/21 season, Damien Cox of The Toronto Star writes. Toronto also has a number of key players set to reach free agency later this month, including Fred VanVleet and Serge Ibaka.
Raptors officials visited Nashville, Tennessee last week to investigate another potential home for the team next season, Adam Vingan of The Athletic writes. With Canada closing the border except for essential travel, Toronto likely needs to find a temporary arena located in the United States for most or all of the upcoming campaign. Kansas City, Missouri and Tampa Bay, Florida are also in the running to host the team, Vingan relays. Despite conducting due-diligence, the club is reportedly holding out hope that it will be able to play in Toronto next season.

Lakers Expected To Target Serge Ibaka

November 8th, 2020 at 4:45pm CST by JD Shaw

The Lakers are expected to target veteran forward Serge Ibaka in free agency this year, Sean Deveney of Heavy.com reports, citing league executives.

Ibaka, 31, averaged 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 27 minutes per game for the Raptors last season, proving his worth as a frontcourt option off the bench or as a starter. He holds 11 seasons of NBA experience, making stops with Oklahoma City and Orlando before reaching Toronto via trade in 2017.

Deveney suggests that the Raptors are still probably the favorites to sign Ibaka this fall, but that the big man may be willing to leave for a chance to compete for a championship elsewhere. The Celtics, Clippers, Heat, Mavericks, and Trail Blazers are among the other clubs expected to have interest, per Deveney, though the defending champions could probably give Ibaka the best chance to play for a title.

“From a personnel standpoint, he is exactly the kind of combo big guy that team (the Lakers) needs,” one general manager said. “They have had interest in him before and they will again. When he is healthy he is an excellent spot starter at the 5 (center) and the 4 (power forward). He is as good a bench big guy as there is in the league. He was a really credible 3-point threat last year. If he is willing to accept what the Lakers can afford to give him, I know they would want him.”

The Lakers own a mid-level exception worth $9.3MM, though it’s unclear whether the team prefers to spend it on one player or split it among multiple free agents. L.A. is coming off its first title since 2010 and has several players set to reach free agency, including Dwight Howard and Markieff Morris.

Anthony Davis ($28.75MM), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($8.49MM), Avery Bradley ($5MM), JaVale McGee ($4.2MM) and Rajon Rondo ($2.69MM) also have player options, with Davis expected to re-sign after opting out and Rondo and Caldwell-Pope both likely to decline their options.

The NBA plans to start free agency shortly after the Nov. 18 draft, though exact details remain unknown.

Raptors Still Hoping To Play In Toronto

November 7th, 2020 at 5:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors have plenty of options if they need to find a temporary home in the United States, but team officials are optimistic that they will be able to play the upcoming season in Toronto, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.

Sources tell Berman that the NBA is working with the U.S. and Canadian governments to develop new guidelines regarding visiting teams coming into Toronto. Canada currently has restrictions on travel from the United States to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

The Raptors believe they can find a safe way to resume playing at their home court at Scotiabank Arena, Berman adds, although it’s unlikely that fans will be allowed in the facility when NBA games resume next month. Government-sponsored coronavirus tests may be required for all visiting teams when they arrive at the Toronto airport, according to sources.

Kansas City, Seattle, Nashville, Buffalo and Tampa Bay have been mentioned as potential locations for the Raptors this season if Canadian travel restrictions remain in place. The Nets’ former arena in Newark has also been floated as a possibility considering the league’s intent to cut down on travel, but sources tell Berman all those cities should be considered “long shots.”

Pacific Notes: Ibaka, Holiday, Kings, Lakers

November 4th, 2020 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Toronto’s Serge Ibaka would be the ideal free agent addition for the Clippers, but that can only happen if he’s willing to accept a discount to remain with a contending team, writes Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Ibaka is a better-than-average three-point shooter at 38.5% and a strong defender both at the rim and on the perimeter. Buha sees him as an improvement over Montrezl Harrell in spacing the floor, rebounding and on defense.

However, the Clippers are limited to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is expected to fall between $9MM and $10MM. He’s likely to see better offers, but Ibaka has played on winning teams for nearly his entire career and may value the chance to contend for a title in L.A.

If the Clippers can’t land Ibaka, Buha sees Miami’s Goran Dragic and Jae Crowder as alternatives. Dragic is masterful on the pick-and-roll and capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Crowder could be a replacement for Marcus Morris if the veteran wing doesn’t re-sign.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

With the Pelicans talking about trading Jrue Holiday, Anthony Slater of The Athletic examines whether he makes sense for the three Pacific teams expected to be in the title hunt. Holiday would give the Clippers a secondary playmaker next to Kawhi Leonard, a need that became obvious in the playoffs, and would be part of a dangerous defensive unit alongside Leonard and Paul George. However, the Clippers are low on assets after last summer’s trade to acquire George. The Lakers are in the same position in the wake of the Anthony Davis deal. They can offer Kyle Kuzma or Alex Caruso, but Slater notes that executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin passed on both players last year. The Warriors have the No. 2 pick in the draft, but matching salaries for Holiday would be difficult, assuming the Pelicans don’t want to take back Andrew Wiggins or Draymond Green.
Although Richaun Holmes is coming off a breakthrough year, the Kings might consider drafting a center, especially if USC’s Onyeka Okongwu is still available at No. 12, according to Jason Jones of The Athletic. Okongwu can defend on the perimeter and runs the floor, which Jones says are qualities the Kings like in their big men.
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype examines how the Lakers can keep their best free agents and still add a significant piece with the MLE without going over the tax apron.

Building A Perfect Offseason For The Raptors

November 4th, 2020 at 7:12pm CST by Arthur Hill

Eric Koreen of The Athletic tries to build the perfect offseason for the Raptors, which includes re-signing free agents Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka, Chris Boucher and Oshae Brissett. Also in Koreen’s scenario, Toronto lures Harry Giles away from the Kings at $4.2MM for one season with a player option for 2021/22, and drafts Malachi Flynn and Paul Eboua. In a potentially significant move for the future, Koreen has Giannis Antetokounmpo turning down a super-max offer from the Bucks.

Top Raptors Brass In LA For Draft, Team Confident About Global Scouting

November 3rd, 2020 at 8:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Ahead of the NBA draft, many top Raptors front office executives have temporarily relocated to Los Angeles, which is a fairly central locale for prospects and their agents, Josh Lewenberg of TSN reports. Because agents, many of whom are located on the West Coast generally and in L.A. specifically, are holding individual workouts for their player clients ahead of the draft, an L.A. residency made the most sense to Toronto brass.

The Raptors brain trust gathered in L.A. includes team president Masai Ujiri, GM Bobby Webster, assistant GM Dan Tolzman, and director of global scouting Patrick Engelbrecht. “You are just focusing more on skill set and conditioning and their level of preparation for that moment [in an individual workout,” Engelbrecht said. “But in terms of competitive nature, who is going to push through a drill, who is going to out-compete somebody else, yeah, those are things you are just not going to have a chance to see and you are going to have to rely more on your past scouting and in-game scouting you have done throughout the year.”

Raptors Could Play Next Season in Newark

November 1st, 2020 at 10:55am CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors have talked to the operators of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, about using the facility for their home games next season, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. The building holds 19,500 fans and is located relatively close to Toronto’s four Atlantic Division rivals.

In response to the coronavirus, Canada has placed restrictions on international travel from the United States that are likely to still be in place whenever next season begins. With other teams unable to freely travel into Toronto, the Raptors are searching for a U.S. site to serve as their temporary home. Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays played their home games this summer at Sahlen Field in Buffalo.

The Prudential Center, which serves as home to the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Seton Hall basketball, has experience in hosting an NBA team, Bondy notes. The Nets played there for two seasons before relocating to Brooklyn in 2012. The building is owned by Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, which also owns the Sixers.

A source tells Bondy that the Raptors also had discussions about playing in Tampa Bay or Nashville or possibly being guests in another NBA team’s arena. Kansas City offered the T-Mobile Center, while a similar pitch from Louisville was declined. A move to Buffalo has also been suggested.

The NBA is trying to limit travel next season because of COVID-19 concerns, which could make Newark an ideal location. Bondy points out that it’s only about 15 miles from Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden and roughly 90 minutes from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Boston is 225 miles away.

Terence Davis Pleads Not Guilty To Seven Charges

October 30th, 2020 at 6:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors guard Terence Davis has entered a not guilty plea after being charged in New York with two counts of assault, harassment, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal mischief, Blake Murphy of The Athletic tweets. As The Athletic’s Eric Koreen writes, Davis’ girlfriend visited him at a Manhattan hotel and they allegedly got into a verbal argument. Davis allegedly hit his girlfriend in the face, then grabbed the victim’s phone and broke it. His next court date is December 11.

The Raptors issued a statement which read in part that they “take these issues very seriously, and we will fully cooperate and support the League in its investigation of this matter as we work to determine the appropriate next steps for our team.”

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has made a pitch to NBA commissioner Adam Silver, lobbying to bring the Raptors to his city next season, Jonathan Concool of Basketball News relays. The Raptors may need to move their games out of Canada, much like baseball’s Blue Jays did this season, due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Kansas City has an arena fit for an NBA team and while Lucas insists he’s not trying to get the Toronto franchise to move there permanently, he’s hoping it would be a de facto “test run” to show the league the city is worthy of an NBA franchise, according to Sports Illustrated’s Ben Pickman.