The team had ran its course with Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby leading the way. Those three players helped the franchise win its first
championship and consequently occupy a special place in Raptors history, but changes were needed.
President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri has established himself as one of the top executives in the league by making tough and timely decisions. The
trades he made in the past year, namely the one that sent Anunoby to the New York Knicks in exchange for RJ Barrett,
Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick, will determine where this organization is in the next five seasons.
By acquiring young talents who have already shown flashes of promise in the NBA rather than seeking only future
draft picks and expiring contracts, Ujiri is trying to initiate a reboot instead of a full rebuild. Regardless of what one calls it,
immediate success will be extremely difficult for the Raptors to attain in 2024-25.
Scottie Barnes will begin his first full season as the unquestioned face of the franchise, a responsibility he must effectively carry if Toronto is going to
avoid an extended stay in NBA purgatory, or worse. He made a tremendous leap forward last season,
particularly on offense, but the squad lacked the experience and depth to compete in the Eastern Conference.
already sub-.500 Raptors squad plummeted in January, an unsurprising consequence of shuffling the roster in
the middle of the season. The chemistry should be vastly improved going into the 2024-25 campaign, though.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic should have a more stable situation to manage in his second year, as there will no longer be a sense of uncertainty hovering above the
team. He knows what he is working with now, from start to finish. Toronto’s core should be intact all yearlong
