2018-19 Toronto Raptors

2017-18: 59-23 (1st in the East, lost in the 2nd round)
Draft picks: none
Signed for next season ($127.5m): Kyle Lowry, Demar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, Jonas Valenciunas, Norman Powell, CJ Miles, Jakob Poetl, Delon Wright, OG Anunoby, Malachi Richardson, Pascal Siakam, Alfonzo McKinnie

This summer's free agents: Lucas Noguiera, Fred Van Vleet, Lorenzo Brown, Malcolm Miller
I'm sure they'd love to bring back Van Vleet, a nice second rotation player for them, but I'm not sure the money is there. I can't imagine they bring back Noguiera, he's been there forever and virtually never played. Brown and Miller are on 2-way contracts.

The Raptors are in pretty much the same position this summer that they were last summer: no draft picks, no team/player options and no money to spend. So this year's team is pretty much next year's team. They've built great continuity with this crew over the years, they continue that on for one more year.

But here's a coupla pointless trade ideas.

Raptors get Chris Paul (sign & trade, say, 4yrs/$110m); Rockets get Kyle Lowry (2yrs/$64.2m remaining)
Raptors get Kenneth Faried (1yr/$13.7m); Nuggets get Jonas Valenciunas (2yrs/$34.2m)

They've already moved on from Coach Casey but the Raptors could use a roster shakeup too.  Because they don't have money for free agents or tasty draft picks, trading is their best bet to make changes. Might as well go big. I think CP fits just fine with DeRozan and Ibaka, the strong second string gives CP a good chance to hold leads from the bench, and a new coach brings a whole new style and attitude (a Chris Paul attitude). Long term this guarantees a star level, well-respect PG to run the show with DeRozan for the foreseeable future. Does this give them a chance to get past Lebron? Probably not, but isn't any worse than what's been getting drubbed the last two years. Look, the Raptors aren't going anywhere in the playoffs with the Celtics, Sixers and Bucks charging fast, but they can still be a steady playoff team with rabid home fans. Paul doesn't bode post-season success but it locks down the regular season for a while.

The Raptors would be getting a purely defensive, rebounding presence down low that doesn't need the ball but would be available for pick and roll lob dunks. Faried had some good times, if he could get his game back, he'd be fine in the Raptor rotation. And it unburdens their long term commitments, gives them a little more flexibility in future summers.

As for the Rockets, 2 years of Lowry is probably better than re-signing CP for 4-5 more years of steady decline. On the court, I think Lowry is a better fit for Harden than CP, he'll keep the offense from being sclerotic while hanging back for Harden's one-man show without complaint. Does this give them a better chance to beat the Warriors? No, but doesn't make them any less likely to beat the Warriors and it frees up future salary. And the Nuggets could use a down low presence that can rebound and score (and actually get on the floor), Valenciunas is the kind of all around okay player that goes well with their lineup variations and fits their salary cap well in the 2nd year.

These moves would leave the Raptors with a lineup of PG Paul, SG DeRozan, SF Ibaka, PF Anunoby, C Poetl, with Van Vleet, Wright, Miles, Powell, Siakam, Faried off the bench. They'd be moving JV's 1yr/1 option year for 1yr of Faried (whom they could cut if need be, too) and moving on from Lowry's huge deal for a similar (perhaps cheaper) long term deal with a hall of fame PG while (slightly) saving money against the cap. Again: this doesn't suggest they'll win in the playoffs but it should give the fans something to root for.