Whatever way you slice it, the Toronto Raptors have quite a bit of work to do this summer.
Though the team won’t be in the playoffs for a third year in a row, the Raptors’ front office might have one of their busiest offseasons in recent memory ahead of them.
The May 12 draft lottery is the first big event on the calendar, with the Raptors currently sitting seventh in the odds for landing the first overall pick.
Following that, they’ve got the draft itself, free agency, NBA Summer League, formal and informal workouts, and a full training camp and preseason before the games begin to count for real come October.
Team president Masai Ujiri met with the media on Wednesday for his annual end-of-season wrap-up session and spoke about the challenges of being Canada’s only NBA team, particularly in a political climate that has seen a trade war initiated by American President Donald Trump.
“We are not going to hide under the table because a player doesn’t want to come here, or what anybody’s perception of this market is, we’re the only team that’s outside the U.S. in the NBA, and I believe it’s a unique opportunity, and it’s going to be an incredibly unique opportunity in the years to come,” Ujiri said.
The comments come on the heels of former players Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young speaking about “tough” experiences in Toronto, citing minor inconveniences such as border customs or different television channels in Canada.
The biggest move of 2025 might’ve already been completed this year by Toronto, when they made a move just ahead of the trade deadline to acquire former All-Star Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans.
“At the end of the day, you have to acquire talent,” Ujiri added. “We have to do it in a unique way in the market that we’re in, and we have to jump on opportunities that come our way. We felt [the Ingram trade] was a unique opportunity for us, and it fits, but it didn’t stop our rebuild.”
Internally, there aren’t too many big moves to be made in the short term: Chris Boucher and Garrett Temple are the only two unrestricted free agents for the franchise, with the pair of veterans sitting 12th and 18th in minutes, respectively, this past season.
Boucher, the longest-tenured Raptor, sat on the sidelines from February 26 to the end of the season. Ujiri also spoke to Offside about the team’s decision to keep him out of the rotation down the stretch.
“The best way to say this is, I know who Chris is [as a player]. I don’t know who [the younger players can be in the NBA]. It’s a tough place to put [Boucher] in,” Ujiri added. “He was a great sport, and I know he’s a competitor, so it’s always going to be tough.”
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic proclaimed on Tuesday that the team would win another championship in Toronto, with the aim to build the franchise out into a perennial contender, comments which Ujiri echoed on Wednesday.
“My expectation for next season is we continue to grow. But the end goal for me is to win a championship,” Ujiri added. “We’ve focused on getting better, and I think talent acquisition is big for us. You can only build a team three ways in the NBA, and it’s through the draft, through trade and through free agency.”
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