Offseason Overview: Toronto Raptors

July 3, 2009 1:30pm CDT

Expectations were high for the Raptors last season, but coach Sam Mitchell was fired after an 8-9 start and coach Jay Triano steered them backwards and led them to a 25-40 record the rest of the way. The aftershock of such a season is the swirling of rumors that their star, Chris Bosh, will not re-sign with the team once he becomes a free agent next summer. On the positive side, they were able to move the grossly overpaid Jermaine O'Neal for one of the larger expiring contracts in Shawn Marion, and their former No. 1 overall draft pick, Andrea Bargnani, showed promising signs of development.

Cap situation: $48 million committed to 11 players. League salary cap estimated at $58 million for the 2009-2010 season.

Returning players: Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Patrick O'Bryant, Roko Ukic, Marcus Banks, Kris Humphries, Quincy Douby, and Nathan Jawai. Reggie Evans acquired via trade.

Rookies: DeMar DeRozan

Key free agents: Shawn Marion, Anthony Parker, Joey Graham, and Pops Mensah-Bonsu (restricted).

Five Burning Questions

1) Should they consider trading Bosh?

Given that Bosh has already said that there's no chance that he will sign an extension this summer, the Raptors have to consider this option. Bosh is on the hook for one more season at $15.8 million, and he has a player option for $17.1 million the following year. If he were to reach a max contract this summer, he would only be able to command 25 percent of the cap figure (roughly $14.5 million) in his first season. That figure is less than what he is currently scheduled to make. If he were to wait until next summer, he could command 30 percent of the cap figure ($17.4 million). You can see why he would prefer to wait. Dealing Bosh would likely land multiple quality players and/or draft picks in return, and there is no shortage of suitors. Among those most interested are the Warriors, Bulls, Knicks, and Pistons. There are dozens of possible scenarios, and many of them would bring back two starters and a third quality player or draft pick.

2) Should they keep any of their free agents?
It is highly unlikely that Marion returns to the Raptors, as he was mostly ineffective in his brief time with the team. Parker has been a cornerstone of the team over the past three seasons, as he has logged 225 starts. However, he is 33 and coming off his worst season with the Raptors. He could be a sound sixth man at the right price, but he may fetch another good contract that the Raptors are unable to match. This is even a bigger concern if Parker considers playing overseas, where he starred for most of this decade. A deal in the range of two years, $9 million would be ideal but perhaps unlikely given that the Celtics, Cavs, Thunder, Suns, and Spurs have already expressed interest. The team did not make a qualifying offer to Graham for $3.4 million to retain his restricted free agent rights, and but they may feel they can bring him back for less money. Graham turns just 27 this summer. He's a tremendous athlete who has shown progress throughout his four-year career. Although he's probably never going to be more than a bench player, Graham is a sound option in the Raptors rotation, and one that fills a need. Mensah-Bonsu was given his qualifying offer, and he will likely return.

3) Where should Bargnani play?
Bargnani finally "arrived" last season when he averaged 19.3 points after the All-Star break. He also hit 119 three-pointers on over 40 percent shooting from long distance and finished 19th in the league with 1.24 blocks per game. He made 47 of his 59 starts at center, but he was one of the absolute worst defenders in the league at that position. The Raptors also tried the 23-year-old seven-footer on the other side of Bosh at small forward. However, he did not defend that position well either. In a perfect world, he would start at power forward, a la Dirk Nowitzki, making the prospects of trading Bosh even more substantial.

4) Who starts on the wings?
With their starting shooting guard (Parker) and small forward (Marion) both heading into free agency, the Raptors have two pressing needs in their starting five. To make this situation worse, Jason Kapono was traded earlier this offseason for power forward Reggie Evans. At small forward, the best fits would be Hedo Turkoglu or Ron Artest. Other options include Trevor Ariza, Josh Childress (restricted), or Marvin Williams (restricted). At shooting guard, Allen Iverson and Marquis Daniels are available. For a more in depth look at the available shooting guards, click here. For a run down of the other top small forwards available, click here. Ninth overall selection DeMar DeRozan can play either position, but with just one year of college ball under his belt, he is not cut out to be a full-time starter.

5) How much is Turkoglu worth?
There have been some strong reports that the Raptors have already made a five-year, $60 million dollar offer for the services of Turkoglu. While there's no question that the Raptors have a vacant spot for him to fill, $12 million per season is too much for this 30-year-old. He dominates the ball in the fourth quarter, which often leads to turnovers and poor decisions. I am more than a little concerned about his work ethic and basketball IQ. He has been inconsistent ever since arriving in the league back in 2000. Prior to the 2007-08 season, he had never averaged more than 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, or 3.2 assists per game. Thus, $60 million dollars is too much to pay for Hedo, who averaged 16.8 points per game last season. Unfortunately, it looks like he'll get it.

Ideal Situation: Personally, I think that it would be a good idea to move Bosh now and not give $60 million to Turkoglu. One place that may be interested in Bosh is Charlotte, who could send back Gerald Wallace and DeSagana Diop. It would be a much better deal if they could find a way to get Raja Bell from the Bobcats as well. This would allow Bargnani to play his more natural power forward position. At shooting guard, they should target Daniels, an all-around player who averaged 15.3 points per game in 43 starts with the Pacers last season. He should have a very reasonable price tag. For depth at small forward, Wally Szczerbiak would help their perimeter shooting and shouldn't be too pricey. If Turkoglu's price tag was more reasonable, he would be a nice fit, but he's just not worth it. Wallace is better all-around player, especially defensively.

Resulting Depth Chart
PG: Jose Calderon/Roko Ukic/Marcus Banks
SG: Marquis Daniels/DeMar DeRozan/Quincy Douby
SF: Gerald Wallace/Wally Szczerbiak
PF: Andrea Bargnani/Reggie Evans/Nathan Jawai/Kris Humphries
C: DeSagana Diop/Pops Mensah-Bonsu/Patrick O'Bryant

Strengths: Getting something for Bosh while still possible, players in the right positions, defensive stoppers around Bargnani
Weaknesses: Depth, offense in the post