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Derek Clason
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Eric Karina
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Athletic NBA Daily Host
Welcome back everybody to the Athletic NBA Daily. Joined alongside me is Eric Karina, the Athletic who covers the Toronto Raptors for us here. We're both decently well versed in in Raptors world. Raptors land, I would say. Eric, how are you doing?
Eric Karina
I'm doing all right. How are you? Us?
Athletic NBA Daily Host
I'm good. I'm good as well. Look, it was, it was a. It was, I don't want to say uneventful offseason for the Toronto Raptors because something major did happen and we will address it. But in terms of like roster moves in general, nothing crazy. Unless you are very, very high on Sandru Mamal Klishvili, which after Eurobasket, maybe, maybe that is the bandwagon you're jumping on. But I think the major story for this team in the offseason Brandon Ingram, who we haven't seen play for the Raptors yet. And the other one is the firing of Messiah Jury who was a tent pol. This organization for a very, very long time obviously was instrumental in helping the Raptors build a championship team in 2019. Incomes. Bobby Webster or at the very least up goes Bobby Webster in the totem pole, whatever you want to call it. So he is now the head of basketball operations. Not technically president. Not technically president. How do you sift through that specific thing that happened this summer? Does the, does the roster change at all? I mean like does your, does your opinion on the roster, does your opinion on the long term vision of this Raptors team change knowing that there's been a bit of a shuffling of the deck in the front office.
Eric Karina
Not really if they would have changed front offices entirely and gone away from. And that's not to say Messiah. Jerry and Bobby Webster are the same person. Obviously when you are the final voice, some different decisions will be made. But they were, I think it's fair to say, philosophically aligned. Yeah. And Webster, you know, as you can see by sort of the Jacob Pertle extension is part of a big part of why the Raptors look as the Raptors look. I think if you want to understand the Maasai Ujiri firing and we don't need to call it anything else, despite Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment's best efforts to do so.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Right.
Eric Karina
It's probably a personality and a money thing. Edward Rogers. I don't think we have time to explain the Complexities of the MLSE Rogers & Bell board structures. But Edward Rogers, who has become the most important person in the Raptors ownership after being sort of tied for second for several years, had an issue with Messiah Jiri's contract negotiation last time around in 2021 he was overruled. There were some, there was some animosity and Masai got a big contract and with one year remaining on, on Masai's contract, it's obviously lame duck. You can't be a lame duck general manager, president, head of basketball operations or else the world will end. And so it came time to either, you know, I don't think Messiah Jury was about to take a $10 million pay cut and I don't think naturally Rogers was, was about to offer him a, a four year extension of the same contract. So yeah, I think that's essentially why the change happened. Webster will get a chance to put his own mark on his team, but I wouldn't anticipate things veering wildly off the Course they've already been on.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Yeah. At least for the next couple of seasons because Webster himself got a contract extension and so he'll likely see through the next few seasons at the very least to see how this roster plays out, how this team performs. Also Dark or Yakovic got a contract extension as well or an extra year added on which is part of this whole in the next couple of years. This team needs to turn competitive. How do you view this team heading into next year? I actually haven't got your thoughts on this. We haven't got a chance to speak about it. But it feels like after the year that they had, you know, falling in the draft lottery, ending up with column Murray Boyles with the ninth pick. They had an injury riddled season last year that sort of led them down that path of tanking and trying to vie for lottery odds. How do you view this team heading into this year?
Eric Karina
I'm at once not as down on the sort of cumulative talent on this roster as I think a lot of people who follow the league are and also deeply skeptical about its top end ability. I would not have made the Brandon Ingram trade and I just think, and I don't discount that they got him at a pretty cheap acquisition cost.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Yeah, at a discount, right?
Eric Karina
Yeah, yeah, yeah. But given what we saw and how the free agency played out with only one team wielding cap space and that team basically renting it out for draft picks so they can draft, you know, five point guards.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
The.
Eric Karina
Ingram's three year 120 million dollar deal looks pricey. And it's okay to have those contracts on on the one of those contracts on the books. But Emmanuel Quickley's contract is also not great. And yeah, Scotty Barnes contract could be good. I don't have a pro. I didn't have a problem with it at the time but I think he still has to play himself up to the level of it. Absolutely, that's fair to say. And you add in RJ Barrett and then the extension for Purdl. I think it's just a very expensive group for very expensive bill for a group that doesn't necessarily fit the way I'd love it to. I think a lot of this is going to come down to Emmanuel Quickley's health and ability as a not to just be a shop maker but sort of an offensive floor raiser for people beyond himself. And here's what I'll say about Ingram, the trade he addresses a lot of Scotty Barnes offensive deficiencies like the ability to give the butt a guy the ball and have him make some difficult shots is sort of what Scotty Barnes g. Like, that's not what Scotty Barnes is. He's more of a play up, up pace, up tempo, you know, handle the ball screen and make decisions quickly. But he's not somebody you necessarily want picking apart the defense at the end of the game. And I think Ingram gives them a little bit more of that, where they can go from dreadful in the half court to average in the half court. But overall I felt at the time that that trade put a sort of a cap on what they could be. And the contracts that they've given up since haven't really. I don't think they've been of great team value. And that is. It's worrisome looking forward.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
No, it is. And it makes. Makes it a lot more difficult to build out. Like you're banking on some of these younger players in their rotation to really have them win on the margins. Right. Grady Dick, who will be up for extension in a couple of years. Jacoby Walter, same thing. We'll see what happens with the Jamal Shed, Ochay Abaji, Jonathan Mobo, Jameson Battles of the World, who they're big fans of from last year's rookie class, but just generally like they are hoping they can win on the margins with those type of players. And that's the way that they maneuver. Being an expensive team, that's a lot of pressure on a lot of these young guys to turn into real NBA players for a team that's trying to win. And I think to your point about Ingram, the Raptors were basically at the bottom of the league in every offensive category, like pick and rolls. They were not an efficient pick and roll team. Isolation is obviously not a high isolation team. Handoffs. I think the only thing they were decently good at was offensive rebounding and that was just because they wanted to win the second chance battle as much as possible. I think Ingram will elevate that. And part of the contract conversation with Ingram generally will be how healthy he can be because that's been a huge question mark for him moving forward and he obviously didn't play. So we don't have a. We don't have a real gauge of how healthy he is or how ready he'll be. The Raptors have told us for the most part that, you know, he will be expected to play this season and he's progressing along well with that ankle. The main thing here is health and to your point about alleviating some of that, some of that stress off of Scotty, I think that's a great point because we saw it with the efficiency drop when Pascal Siakam got traded for Scotty. Scotty was just asked to do so much more of the creation and I think one thing that this team sorely needs is someone who can create in a pinch and that's, that's the sell on Brandon Ingram as a Toronto Raptor. That's probably the most you could say about it though, right?
Eric Karina
Yeah, I mean, I think if you're looking at the upside, you're looking at a healthier year for Ingram and a healthier year for Quickly and them playing near the best versions of themselves. Because like I'm, I'm still very high on Scotty Barnes and I think people who, you know, are, who are less, who are lower on him probably discount a lot of the things he does just all over the floor. I thought like if he were on a better team, he would have got some all, you know, if he were on a better team and he played with the intensity he played with defensively for the last, the second half of the season, he would have got some all defense buzz. Absolutely. And I think he's, he's that level of defender and he's unselfish as a, as a playmate, as like a offensive player. Like that's something you love. But he obviously, you know, there's that zero level scorer bit that went out before he was drafted and I don't think that's true. But that's not the strength of his game. And that means you need these two guys who you've paid both in terms of what you've sent out and the money you've given them in quickly and Ingram to be wingmen in the, in the best ways that they can be. And yeah, you know, I think quickly as a spacer and shooter is going to be really important, but sometimes it's going to be, it's going to have to be him creating. And obviously the same goes for Ingram. Whether those were the chances they should have taken with the assets they had, that's a longer conversation only. Boost Mobile. Boost Mobile will give you a free year of service. Free year when you buy a new 5G phone.
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Eric Karina
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Athletic NBA Daily Host
What is the rotation for this Raptors team next year? Because I, I could, I was trying to do it today. I honestly was. I was like trying to sift through this random simulator that helps you work out the rotation online. I, you could convince me they have like a 10 man rotation and two guys on the bubble. But that's maybe the optimistic look at things. What, what do you think this Raptors rotation looks like next year?
Eric Karina
Yeah, so I did a story just before I went on vacation that was sort of simulating the rotation and you know, what I led with was, you know, this is all very stupid because players will get injured immediately. You know, I did the same thing last year and I think RJ quickly was hurt before tap. Rj Barrett was hurt in the first preseason game and from there it went. I think they'll start with the five high paid players. So Barrett being the fifth, I'm not sure if I've mentioned him, but you know, I'm not sure if that's the best long term fit. But I think for NBA reasons you sort of have to try that to start. Yeah, I think you know, Grady Dick, Jamal Shed.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
So just for clarity, by the way, the starters you mentioned, Jakob Hurdle, Scotty Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Emmanuel Quickley, that's the presumed starting five that you're going with. Sorry, go ahead.
Eric Karina
Thank you. Grady Dick, Jamal Shed, and Mamu I would say are definitely coming off the bench in their roles. Mamu as, you know, a four or five, Dick as a wing scorer, slash creator, and Jamal Shed as the backup point guard. And then I think you go a few directions. Sort of what happens at 2, 3 on the wing is most interesting to me. Yeah, I think, I think right now if I had to pick just two guys. It would probably be Ochay Abaji and then Colin Murray Boyles with Jacoby Walter having to earn those minutes. And that's just a function. That's just sort of a function of like where they have guys and where they don't. But they could at the same time they could go small, not have Murray Boyle start, you know, in the rotation and you know, use Ingram and RJ as de facto power forwards at. At times and. And you. And have Walter play instead of the rookie Colin Murray Boyles. But if I had to bet, I think those they'll keep things relatively positionally orthodox to start the season and then let see what's working and what's not. Yeah, but yeah, I'd say that last spot whether comes down sort of to Murray Boyles, Jonathan Mobo, who we haven't mentioned here, and the famous Jonathan Mobo.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Between us right at the trade deadline we. We hashed it out over actually at the draft we hashed it out over does column Murray Boyles is his spot the future?
Eric Karina
Yeah. What does this mean for the future of Jon.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Future of Jonathan Mobo? Right.
Eric Karina
Yeah. How did that. Did that part of the podcast really spike when you look back at the numbers?
Athletic NBA Daily Host
It absolutely did. Everybody was intrigued by Jonathan Mobo. It's interesting you detail it out that way because I actually had a completely different rotation. And it's funny because that's the way this stuff works. Yeah, we will. Neither of us will be right in this just because of injuries, because of, you know, any type of different stuff that the Raptors coaching staff envisions. Much smarter people than you and me will be able to kind of sift through what they think is what they want for this Raptors team. I had, I had Grady Dick and Jacoby Walter kind of baked into the rotation just because I think Jacoby fits into what the Raptors want to do defensively, especially at the point of attack. And if they're leaning on, hey, let's force turnovers, let's get out and transition. Let's pressure the ball like crazy. We just saw the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers like get to the finals and one team win a championship just off crazy ball pressure. I think the Raptors want to lean on that. That's what they were successful at last season. And Jacoby was. Was one of the best ball like just on ball defenders on the team last year. I, I think that's where they lean and I'm curious where Jamal Shed plays a role in this team because they do have other ball handlers now. I think Brandon Ingram will have a ball handling responsibility. Scotty Barnes, like you mentioned, unselfish guy who will be able to handle the ball. Emmanuel Quickley can do those things as well. They like to play off of their bigs and so I'm, I'm curious to see whether shed might be a guy who gets the short end of the stick here and then they lean on some of their wingy shooting type of guys in an obagi in maybe even like a battle at times just to provide that extra floor spacing for some of their creators to work. That's, that's my pitch on, on how the Raptors rotation look.
Eric Karina
Yeah. In terms of spacing and I still think that's a weakness for this team. And when we say spacing, we just essentially mean shooting.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Shooting.
Eric Karina
That would go a long way to address that as well as they can with the, with the guys they currently have. I just think like what you said about Walter sort of applies with less size to Shed as well. Like, they love the way he guards the ball, they love the way he pressures. I think that sort of summer league crew second, you know, the last year's rookies take their cues from almost won the championship, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. As a care, as a charismatic leader. And look, me not having Jacoby Walter in the, you know, my theoretical rotation beyond not mattering at all does. It shouldn't color my long term view of him. I'm actually pretty damn high on what he could be if the pieces fall into place. But just, you know, between Dick Walter and Agbaji, they just sort of have one too many guys at that, at that slot. And you're right, all of them could play and they could choose to be less traditional positionally we could see that it wouldn't shock me. But right now, you know, sort of knowing what I know about how the Raptors tend to operate, that that wouldn't be my guess. And to be able to get one of the younger guys, whether it's Murray Boles or Walter, just a more regular role maybe with Raptors 905 and more minutes and when the need comes, they're more ready, that makes a bit more sense to me. But let's face it, the need will probably come immediately. So.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
That's true. Injuries will. It's just the way it's worked over the last couple of years. And to your point about Murray Boyles like that is how they've operated over the last couple of years with their rookies. Generally it's like, hey, you'll get minutes, you'll be sent to the 905 and a few months later you'll be in the rotation. Now, to be fair, those have been in losing seasons and I wonder if the strategy and approach kind of changes this year as they head towards what they want to, they want to be competitive, they want to win basketball games this year.
Eric Karina
I still believe change of pace.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
I know. I can't wait to watch a team that's trying to win. It's very interesting. I still believe Scotty Barnes is the best player on this team. Do you believe that as well?
Eric Karina
Yeah, yeah. I think when you're looking at offense and defense, he is the biggest, he makes the biggest impact on a nightly basis.
Derek Clason
Yeah, I agree.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
And like the, I think the ceiling of what this team can be, you know, for all of what Brandon Ingram provides in terms of needs as a score and you know, basically another ball handler, I think Scotty can really elevate the ceiling of this team depending on just how much he plays up to that contract, both on the defensive end and offensively, how much more he can squeeze out of the, the quote unquote, zero level score narrative that was there for him earlier. Who's the player that's most likely to get traded this season? Because we talked about a lot of guys just now and there's the financial crunch of this team as well. They're, they're operating above the tax right now. Who's the most likely player to get traded?
Eric Karina
So there are two names that pop up to me and, and to what you just mentioned. I believe there are a few million over the luxury tax threshold right now or they're to be. Yeah. Which is, you know, kind of insane for.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Funny position to be in for that.
Eric Karina
They're in. But yeah. So I think if you're looking long term, it's RJ Barrett and that would, you know, sort of stink because he came home, he's really improved his, I, I would say his offensive decision making. You know, he certainly showed signs of being a really good, good playmaker in addition to cutting out sort of a little of the fat of his mid range game and those floaters, you know, he gets, he gets to the rim a bit more often than he used to instead of settling for Those sort of 10 to 12 foot push shots which he can make but aren't the world's most efficient shots. He has two years, you know, I want to say about 54 total left on his deal.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
It's not like 28 and 30 in the final year. Something like that.
Eric Karina
Yeah. And when you just when you look at the long term composition of this team, if Barnes and Ingram are your guys paying, you know thinking about extending him. He's he will be or is extension eligible and thinking about his next deal, does it fit into this, you know the long term structure of this deal? I, I this team, I'm not sure. And as nice as his development has been, you know, unfortunately for RJ and maybe not his own, not entirely his own fault, he hasn't shown that he impacts winning yet. And you could say the same obviously for, for the most part for Scotty Barnes. But I think obviously on the defensive end there's no question which guy is the more serious difference maker there if they're looking to just duck the cap or I should say the tax. Ochay Obaji jumps out just as he's in the last year of his con of his rookie scale contract. He's a nice player who some team might want the restricted rights Bird rights on and as as we just outlined like the Raptors have Grady Dick and Jacoby Walter and if it's time to pay Agbaji and they don't really have room it that's somebody you could trade into a team's mid level exception if they still have, if they still have it to use. And it's a relatively easy trade to make just in terms of the cat mechanics of it all. So those are the two names that jump out if you know disaster hits. Obviously things can change. You can probably put any name in there almost. But right now it's Barrett in a bigger move or a Baji sort of in a smaller move for me.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Yeah, I'm really fascinated to see how this Barrett situation shakes out because he has had his two best seasons of his career in Toronto and the fact that he is a hometown kid. I do wonder how much they try to like massage the situation because he will be extension eligible in October. And part of that I think part of the conversation is like how he looks next to Ingram and Scotty, how much he adheres to a different role because I think last year with the injuries he was just given so much usage and so much opportunity as an on ball guy. I think his role will be similar to how in the short amount of time Pascal Siakam and RJ Barrett were on the same team when Pascal was there, RJ was more of a off ball cutter. A guy who was moving in space, working in transition. Like if he can do that, I think there's A world where there's a long term relationship with the Raptors and Barrett. But cost is a major factor here too. Right?
Eric Karina
Have you memorized those two and a half. Pascal Siakam, Emmanuel, quickly, RJ Barrett, Scotty, Scotty Barnes, weeks like they were all, I remember almost nothing about those weeks except, you know, counting down to the Siako trade. So. Yeah, that's fair, that's fair. No, I, I, your point is well made. And that's like, despite, like it not being, they want to be more competitive, it's not the most urgent thing in the world. But I think there is some burden of proof immediately on this car in terms of they're gonna have to make some pretty big decisions and if, you know, they can gel quickly. I think like you said, there's a chance that there is a workable solution with a guy who wants to be here, obviously, who loves playing at home, who loves being part of Canada basketball and you know, a player for obvious reasons, you know, and good reasons, who the fan base loves, you know. But I think it's also fair to be skeptical about what this all looks like together if it does come to. Well, the Raptors sure could use a less scoring minded threat in the, in that fifth starting spot. Does it make sense to have somebody that pay, that highly paid off the bench?
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Right.
Eric Karina
RJ Barrett would seem to be the number one candidate to move if, if they decide to go that way. Not a lot of teams operate like that, so then it becomes difficult. So we'll see with this presumptive starting five, they're gonna have to show them. They're like, you know, they've got a, they've got a half season to show that they can be a thing. If not some real questions are going to come.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Yeah, this, I mean the rubber meets the road here for this team at this point and it's, it's a little bit unfair because they haven't had a ton of time to play together either. I mean, again, we have not seen Brandon Ingram play with this core at all. So we, there are so many unknowns, which I think I understand where some of the skeptics are coming from in the sense that we just, we don't know. We can't, the Raptors can't hang their hats on anything other than the fact that they project to be a decently good defensive team next year.
Eric Karina
I was about to say that what you can't hang your hats on the second half defensive numbers, the post All Star break defensive numbers, which we're just assuming are going to carry over, right?
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Yeah, exactly. Okay, well, let's talk about this. What do you think the outcome is for this team next year? Like, given some of the skepticism, given. We don't really know how this team meshes or coalesces together. You have a crystal ball in May and June. What. Where do they land in the Eastern Conference?
Eric Karina
Yeah, I just. I have a tough time putting them in the top six. I think that is sort of their ceiling, that 5, 6 range. I think they're one of any number of teams that can find their. Their ways there. You know, obvious. Most obvious thing in the world, good health plus, you know, some good chemistry, and Brandon Ingram, you know, fitting in well. And sure, this team is pretty talented, but I just think it's a. It's not a long time and not a long Runway for a very questionable offensive fit. And, you know, I think some of the criticisms against Ingram, of Ingram have been unfair at times, but I don't think it's unreasonable, reasonable to say that he doesn't play or hasn't played the way that Darko Rajkovic talks about the Raptors playing. And so I think in that way, it's a huge year for Darko Rajkovic in that, like, sure, he's got some teams with low expectations to buy into a style of play, but what happens when your expectations creep up, your, you know, caliber of talent creeps up and you have to sell them on. On playing a bit differently? Like, that didn't go great in his first year, which, admittedly, I would not pin on him whatsoever.
Derek Clason
Yeah.
Eric Karina
Long story short, like, my. My gut is this is a 910 team. Somewhere in that range. High end, you know, five, low end, the bottom falls out and they're like, 12th or something.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Yeah, no, that's the crazy part is you just listed 5 to 12 and that.
Eric Karina
Yes, but I think we could do. Yeah, we could do that for a lot of teams.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Right.
Eric Karina
I. I understand that. Think they are, you know, in my heart of hearts, I think they're closer to missing the playoffs than finishing six, I think, is what I would say.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Yeah, I'm. I think there are a lot of factors to this. The. The. To me, I think we will have a decent season from their starting five if health is permitting. I think that will. Yeah, that's always a question. But if they are healthy, their starting five should be able to win their minutes. The big question for me is, and to your point about Darko Rejackovic is, like, how they work out this rotation. If some of those Younger guys can really develop some outlier skills to be better than what they are right now. If Grady Dick, who had a really awesome start to a season last year, can do that consistently for an entire year, then you're looking at a different story. If column Murray Boyles has an impressive rookie season and is really dominant defensively out the gate, then you might have a different look, a different approach to what the long term vision of this Raptors team is. But I, I would probably agree with you. I think I'm a little bit higher. But I, I also am looking at the rest of the Eastern Conference as you are and saying there is a world in which this team, given the pressures that they have to win and compete, goes the extra mile compared to some other teams like Boston might not be as interested in going all in in February and March. Indian does. But who knows what happens with the Philadelphia 76ers. You know, the Chicago Bulls just resigned Josh Giddy. We'll see how good that team is. It's just there's so many question marks in the Eastern Conference and I think the Raptors have their own set of question marks. It just depends on again, health and how much they like playing with each other.
Eric Karina
Yeah. And that's where, you know, this team like had a great summer last year. Like, like. And I'm not, I roll my eyes a little bit at that, but I like, I earnestly believe it. That group really liked playing together. But you know, that that stuff, that ephemeral stuff only matters. Only means so much. Yeah. And yeah, darker. Yakovic has a job on his hands to make sure this team can hit the ground running. Injuries happen and that just won't be as much of an excuse this year because some big financial decisions, you know, even if you're not facing free agents or anything. But just in terms of the salary structure of this league though those decisions are coming and you know, it's just this is not the salary structure of a team that is battling to, you know, win a play in game that like that this team is being paid as if they are at least going to, you know, get some home revenue in the playoffs. And that's at least. So they got to be that.
Athletic NBA Daily Host
Yeah, absolutely. Rubber meets the road type of season for basically everybody in the Raptors organization. We will see what happens. Eric Rain, appreciate you as always. Thank you very much for joining us here to talk about the Raptors.
Eric Karina
No problem. Always, always a tree test.
Derek Clason
Hi, I'm Derek Clason, host of the Athletic Football Show. Today I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile offering reliable nationwide coverage backed by a 30 day money back guarantee. Love your service or get your money back, no questions asked. Boost Mobile offers the same nationwide coverage, network speed and service consumers are used to, but at more affordable prices. Why would you pay more if you don't have to? Boost Mobile also understands that change can be scary, which is why they allow you to try their service risk free for 30 days. And if you're not happy, you can get your money back. So start saving on wireless today with Boost Mobile's unlimited plans starting at just $25 a month. Visit your nearest Boost Mobile store or find us online@boost mobile.com After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan. Customers who cancel within 30 days of activation will have Boost service fees refunded, activation fees if applicable, and phone payments will not be refunded. The Boost Mobile network, together with their roaming partners, covers 98% of the US population. 5G speeds are not available in all areas.
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Date: September 26, 2025
Host: Athletic NBA Daily Host
Guest: Eric Karina (The Athletic’s Raptors beat reporter)
This episode examines a pivotal season for the Toronto Raptors, focusing on whether their current roster and off-season moves position them as a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. The conversation delves into the organization’s recent front office upheaval, the impact of key player acquisitions and contracts, rotation questions, and projections for where the team fits in an increasingly competitive East.
Timestamps: 01:54–05:45
Timestamps: 05:45–11:25
Timestamps: 11:25–13:26, 22:25–23:30
Timestamps: 14:46–21:54
Timestamps: 20:01–22:25
Timestamps: 23:30–28:59
Timestamps: 29:24–35:18
On the Masai Ujiri firing:
“It's probably a personality and a money thing. Edward Rogers...had an issue with Masai Ujiri’s contract negotiation last time around in 2021...I don't think Masai Ujiri was about to take a $10 million pay cut and I don't think...Rogers was about to offer him a, a four year extension of the same contract.” – Eric (04:20)
On the current roster’s ceiling:
“Even with Ingram’s scoring, I feel like that trade put a sort of cap on what they could be. And the contracts...haven't really been of great team value. And that is...worrisome looking forward.” – Eric (08:36)
On Scottie Barnes’ importance:
“I still believe Scottie Barnes is the best player on this team.” – Host (22:25)
On anticipated trade movement:
“RJ Barrett would seem to be the number one candidate to move if, if they decide to go that way. Not a lot of teams operate like that, so then it becomes difficult.” – Eric (28:59)
On where the Raptors will finish:
“My gut is this is a 9-10 team. Somewhere in that range. High end, you know, five, low end, the bottom falls out and they're like, 12th or something.” – Eric (31:52)
On organizational urgency:
“Rubber meets the road type of season for basically everybody in the Raptors organization. We will see what happens.” – Host (35:18)
The hosts agree that the Toronto Raptors find themselves at a high-pressure crossroads: expensive contracts, new personnel, and sky-high organizational expectations with a roster that still has significant questions about its offensive ceiling, health, and fit. Scottie Barnes remains central to their identity, but the fate of RJ Barrett, the effectiveness of Brandon Ingram’s addition, and the development of young talent will determine whether this version of the Raptors is headed for another play-in battle or a true playoff spot.
Overall Tone: Cautiously skeptical with a hint of optimism; both hosts acknowledge uncertainty but see potential for the Raptors to outperform expectations—with the right development, health, and some luck.