The Toronto Raptors are stuck in limbo right now.
The team is 12-19 and don’t look close to contention. However, they haven’t made moves that suggest they are headed for a rebuild.
The team is stuck in the middle hoping to make their current situation work.
According to Sportsnet’s Michael Grange the Raptors don’t have an appetite for a reset at this point in time:
“In that context, it’s safe to conclude — and the Raptors have indicated as much to league insiders I’ve spoken with — that there is no appetite for a reset, teardown or rebuild.”
The Raptors have two key players in Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby who are set to become unrestricted free agents next summer.
Toronto hasn’t gotten an extension done with Siakam and Anunoby will almost certainly decline his player option.
Regarding Siakam, Grange says there is no plan for an extension at the moment:
“Things can change with a phone call, but the sense is that there is no momentum for any kind of decision regarding Siakam over the coming days, which increases the likelihood that the eight-year veteran doesn’t get moved at all, or it means that the pool of teams Siakam does get traded to is limited to those that Siakam would agree to sign with long term.”
Regarding Anunoby, Grange says he remains a player teams are interested in, both as a trade target and potential free agent:
“The Indiana Pacers have interest in Siakam and Anunoby, per league sources, as an example. Given Anunoby’s simple fit as an elite multi-positional defender who can play off the ball and space the floor, the list of quality teams that could find room for him in their starting lineup is long.”
Raptors must have a plan
The Raptors must have a plan and act on it soon because the last thing Toronto wants is to lose both players for nothing. Similar to how the Fred VanVleet situation played out this past summer.
If Masai Ujiri and the Raptors don’t want to rebuild, it’ll be interesting to see the type of direction they take.
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