Raptors offseason outlook: Free agents, contracts, draft picks, biggest question after Play-In elimination

Scott Rafferty

Raptors offseason outlook: Free agents, contracts, draft picks, biggest question after Play-In elimination image

The Raptors' season has come to an end with a loss to the Bulls in the Play-In Tournament.

Now what?

This season didn't quite go to plan for the Raptors. After being one of the biggest surprises in the NBA in 2021-22, they fell short of preseason expectations in 2022-23, to the point where they spent most of the season fighting for a spot in the Play-In Tournament.

That will give the front office a lot to think about entering an offseason that is full of questions and no clear answers.

All salaries are from Spotrac.

Raptors upcoming free agents

Jakob Poeltl and Will Barton will both be unrestricted free agents in the offseason. Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and Otto Porter Jr. could join them in unrestricted free agency, as they each have a player option in their contract for the 2023-24 season.

Additionally, Dalano Banton, Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Ron Harper Jr. will be restricted free agents.

Raptors free agents in 2023 offseason
Unrestricted free agents Restricted free agents Player option Team option
Jakob Poeltl Dalano Banton Fred VanVleet None
Will Barton Jeff Dowtin Jr. Gary Trent Jr.  
  Ron Harper Jr. Otto Porter Jr.  

Unrestricted free agents are free to sign with any team. Restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player's original team has the option to bring them back by matching the offer.

Last offseason, player and team options had to be exercised by June 29, the day before free-agent negotiations began.

Raptors future salaries, roster

Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby are under contract for the 2023-24 season. The No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Scottie Barnes has two years remaining on his rookie contract.

Player 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Pascal Siakam $37,893,408 UFA -
Fred VanVleet $22,824,074 (PO) UFA -
Gary Trent Jr. $18,785,000 (PO) UFA  
O.G. Anunoby $18,642,857 $19,928,571 (PO) UFA
Chris Boucher $11,750,000 $10,810,000 UFA
Scottie Barnes $8,008,680 $10,130,980 (TO) RFA
Thaddeus Young $8,000,000 (NG) UFA -
Otto Porter Jr. $6,300,000 (PO) UFA -
Precious Achiuwa $4,379,527 RFA -
Malachi Flynn $3,873,025 RFA -
Joe Wieskamp $1,927,896 (NG) RFA -
Christian Koloko $1,719,864 $2,019,699 (NG) RFA

PO = Player option

TO = Team option

NG = Non-guaranteed

UFA = Unrestricted free agent

RFA = Restricted free agent

Raptors
(Getty Images)

Raptors 2023 NBA Draft picks

The Raptors have full control of their first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

In finishing the season with a 41-41 record, the Raptors have a 92.9 percent chance of landing the No. 13 pick in the upcoming draft. They have a 4.8 percent chance of landing a top-four pick and a 1.0 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick.

Toronto parted ways with its second-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft in the Poeltl trade. The Raptors owe an additional unprotected second-round pick (2025) and a protected first-round pick that could be conveyed in 2024 to the Spurs as part of the deal.

TRADE DETAILS: What the Raptors traded for Poeltl

One burning question

Will the Raptors double down or go in a new direction?

The Raptors have some big decisions to make this offseason.

While Siakam, Anunoby and Barnes are under contract for at least one more season, VanVleet, Trent and Poeltl will be unrestricted free agents, giving them the choice of signing with any team in the league.

Each one of them played a key role this season. VanVleet got off to a slow start after earning an All-Star selection in 2021-22, but he came on strong in the second half. Trent gave the Raptors a scoring punch as a starter and reserve, and Poeltl's mastery of the little things helped tie things together on both ends of the court.

The Raptors could very well run it back by re-signing each one of them — assuming, of course, that they would each be interested in re-signing. They could also pivot by letting one, two or three of them walk, or exploring sign-and-trade options.

If that wasn't enough, there are rumblings that this could have been Nick Nurse's last season as head coach of the Raptors. Before the end of the regular season, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported that the franchise has been "openly evaluating Nurse's current fit at the position" after he led them to a championship in 2019. The Ringer's Bill Simmons said on his podcast that the whispers of Nurse moving on have been going on all season.

If Nurse were to leave the Raptors, Ime Udoka has been mentioned as a potential replacement.

Given all of the unknown with VanVleet, Trent, Poeltl and Nurse, there's a chance the Raptors could look quite different next season, for better or worse.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.