Samson Folk is joined by Esfandiar Baraheni & Trevon Heath to breakdown the Raptors latest move.
From Louis’ piece:
“We’ll have much more on Toronto’s future moves tomorrow morning. For now, let’s focus on how the team will be able to do so. How does the acquisition of Leonard change Toronto’s books?
Outgoing from Toronto are Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick. Ingram will earn $40 M next season, while Dick is slated to earn $7.1 M. Leonard, on the other hand, will earn just over $50 M, which means the Raptors are, according to Blake Murphy, going to be hard-capped at the First Apron.
And going forward, Leonard is an expiring contract. He and the Raptors have in all likelihood discussed his re-signing as a free agent. Chris Haynes has reported that they will likely agree to a two-year extension, which I would expect to be at the full, 35-percent maximum. That means Toronto will be facing a real cap crunch in the following, 2027-28 season with RJ Barrett earning a new contract (or not) prior to that season. The Raptors are very, very close to facing a cap crunch the likes of which are currently faced by the Denver Nuggets and others.
But they aren’t there yet. The Raptors have assembled a legitimate championship contender in the space of a few minutes, and I expect them to attempt to continue to add to this roster in the coming days. The tools for such moves are minimal, but I imagine the lure of Leonard and Scottie Barnes to be incredible in drawing talent to Toronto. Bobby Webster and company will need to continue pulling rabbits out of hats in coming days.
This offseason becomes crucial in Toronto’s ability to build forward. What the Raptors do in the coming days, with free agency set to begin at 6 pm EST on June 30, will go a long way towards lifting the team’s momentum into the regular season. It is once again championship or bust for the Raptors.
You can follow along with all of Toronto’s moves in free agency at our live blog.”
Have a blessed day.
