The Toronto Raptors were one of the surprises of the NBA last season and now that they have signed Kyle Lowry, any idea of a trade with DeMar DeRozan is off the table and now Masai Ujiri may look at free agent targets like Jordan Crawford, Francisco Garcia or Andray Blatche to finish out the roster as the summer heads towards training camps.
The Raptors won a franchise record 48 games last season and took the Atlantic division and now they are poised to be even better after the way DeRozan and Lowry developed last season. According to ESPN.com, the team signed Lowry to a four year deal and also added Patrick Patterson back and they also met with Andray Blatche. The free agent market is getting a bit thinned out, but names like Crawford, Garcia as well as Blatche, Jermaine O'Neal, Shelvin Mack and Emeka Okafor could be potential options.
Crawford had a solid season with the Warriors last season and he averaged over 10 points with two rebounds and three assists and he could be a nice fit off the bench. Crawford has had some interest from teams and he likely will not be signing back with the Warriors after they signed Shaun Livingston. The Raptors have some moves they can make and they come back after ranking seventh in defense by points per game and they also were 13th in scoring and adding a player like Crawford could help improve that even more.
The Raptors kept the core of their team intact this offseason and they signed back Patrick Peterson on a deal for three-years, $18 million and he could be a major player for the team this season. Patterson was moved in the Rudy Gay trade that many thought would lead to the Rapts tanking, but instead made them a better team and a playoff contender. Moving Gay opened up the offense and now the Raptors have a solid player who still has potential to develop after averaging 8.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 48 games for Toronto. Patterson was moved from Houston to Sacramento to make way for Dwight Howard and now the Raptors have a former number 14 pick from 2010.
The team signed back Lowry and also kept Greivis Vasquez and their bench could be very strong come next season. Bringing back Lowry was the big move and the top priority for Masai Ujiri and now the team has the chance to keep building around him. Lowry signed a deal over four years' worth about $50 million and this comes after he averaged a career best 17.9 points and 7.4 assists per game last season. Lowry was acquired in a deal with the Rockets and he has blossomed into a great young point guard and now is the leader of the Raptors.
The team traded Steve Novak to the Jazz to open some things up and while he is gone, other players now have the chance to step up. The team was happy with the development of Terrence Ross and now DeRozan has the chance to keep getting better after making the All-Star team last season.
