Ryan Wolstat

Published May 01, 2024 • Last updated 1 minute ago • 2 minute read

Here's the aforementioned overflow Raptors mailbag, since the mail sack was too full last time (thanks for that). Article content

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Raptors spring Mailbag Part 2: Free agency targets, Gradey Dick's ceiling and more Raptors spring Mailbag Part 2: Free agency targets, Gradey Dick's ceiling and more Author of the article: Article content Here's the aforementioned overflow Raptors mailbag, since the mail sack was too full last time (thanks for that). Advertisement 2 Article content Raptors spring Mailbag Part 2: Free agency targets, Gradey Dick's ceiling and more Back to video Another basketball mailbag will arrive soo after we find out what happens at the May 12 NBA draft lottery. Article content First, a mea culpa: Was so fixated on the Bruce Brown saga during the season I conflated in-season rules with off-season ones regarding his contract. I said in the previous mailbag a team looking to shed salary could pick up his unguaranteed contract for a guaranteed one they were looking to shed (and could grease the wheels with a draft pick or two, or a prospect), but that was only correct during the season. Toronto couldn't find a deal to its liking, so that option is now out the window because we are on to the 2024-25 season, trade-wise. Any team options have to be picked up at this point, unlike at the trade deadline when a deal I posited could have been made. There are still options for Toronto as a team might want to add Brown for a year (even though he'll be paid more for 2024-25 than he'd likely command annually on a new multi-year deal). Advertisement 3 Article content That would give a contender a proven veteran contributor who helped Denver win the title, plus early Bird rights, which would make it easier to re-sign him in the summer of 2025 (though not full Bird rights, which make it way easier to retain a free agent). The Raptors could also just decline the option and either use cap space to target a free agent (which likely would mean Gary Trent Jr. isn't back, either) or they could use a trade exception (they have two) to take on a bad contract and assets (like the idea I had for Brown in-season that didn't pan out). This week's questions: DAN B : “What is Gradey Dick's realistic ceiling as a player and what would he need to add to his game to become an all-star?” R.W. Also got a question about stat expectations for Dick next season. A lot of next year depends on if Trent returns/if a veteran is signed who will take a lot of minute away. Advertisement 4 Article content Dick is probably a shooting guard long-term, but also he will play plenty at small forward. Last year, he only played 25% of the time at SG though, per basketball-reference.com. Guard is a huge position of need if you consider Dick and RJ Barrett — both 6-foot-6, but Barrett's obviously way bulkier and stronger — more suited to forward (Barrett's spent 58% of his NBA playing time at SF and 5% at PF). If Quickley-Dick-Barrett-Barnes-Poeltl is the starting group, Dick will get a lot of minutes and a lot of open shots. I think to make that front court work, you'd need elite shooters at the guard spot, which means Quickley and Dick or maybe even Quickley and Trent. All are capable of being 40% three-point shooters and 45% or better from the corners. Advertisement 5 Article content His ceiling is probably Gordon Hayward, maybe a bigger Kevin Huerter. He needs to keep borrowing from great players like Reggie Miller, Klay Thompson and Peja Stojakovic, especially how they moved off-ball, but I think he'll be a solid starter one day. SEAN : “Who should the Raps target in a trade or free agency?” R.W. The priority should be retaining Quickley on a reasonable deal (starting at around $25 million a season) and would think they'd match any offer. Not sure there's anyone worth grabbing this year, to be honest (if it means losing Brown and Trent outright). It's also unclear until the lottery which direction the Raptors will go next season. They could punt a signing to next year (though the big Barnes extension will have kicked in). This year I'd only target a free agent that fits a long-term plan. Isiah Hartenstein is a big man I've liked since long before he broke out this season. He'd work and fill a big need behind (or even eventually replacing) Poeltl. Tyus Jones makes some sense, but might be too old and not happy to be a backup (he and Quickley would be too small together). I'd consider a swing on former high lottery pick Isaac Okoro (but maybe there isn't room for him and Ochai Agbaji in the search for a poor man's OG Anunoby). Love Deanthony Melton, but he's hurt a lot and probably will have better options. Naji Marshall also intrigues and New Orleans has too much talent, too high a payroll and not enough room for all of those players. So, to sum up, Marshall and Hartenstein would be my top targets. Advertisement 6 Article content DAN M : “How stupid, on a scale of 1 to 10, is Jontay Porter? And was the punishment fair?” R.W : We don't know all the facts, but the NBA banned him for a reason so let's assume his alleged acts were really, really dumb. I'll go with a 9. ED : “What's going to be the formula to rebuild the Raptors into a competitive team for next season?” R.W. It's not happening for next season unless they win the lottery and the guy they pick is way better now than anyone on the planet thinks. Plus, Barnes would have to take another leap to superstar and everyone would have to stay healthy. For the longer-term, they need Barnes to keep getting better, the pick from this year or next (depending on which one the Spurs get) has to become a starter, minimum, and would be nice if they can hit on one of the other picks from Indiana (later in this year's draft or sometime in 2026) or the Pistons pick (31st this year). Advertisement 7 Article content JEFF : “What is their five-year plan and do they consider themselves currently in a rebuilding phase?” R.W. Again, depends on what happens at the lottery, but yes they do consider themselves in a rebuilding phase. Five-year plan is to be a championship contender, but there's a long way to go to get there. They probably don't make playoffs next two seasons, then want to make it Year 3, win a round Year 4 and be in mix after that. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Raptors spring Mailbag Part 2: Free agency targets, Gradey Dick's ceiling and more Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake This Week in Flyers

Months after plans for an expansion team long considered a slam dunk fell apart, prominent owner Larry Tanenbaum went on his own and landed a team

Months after plans for an expansion team long considered a slam dunk fell apart, Larry Tanenbaum went on his own and landed a team

While some choices were of the more obvious variety, others are worth explaining reasoning-wise.

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : WOLSTAT: Explaining my official NBA awards ballot, including voting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP WOLSTAT: Explaining my official NBA awards ballot, including voting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP While some choices were of the more obvious variety, others are worth explaining reasoning-wise. Author of the article: Article content Every year, the NBA asks the media to make extremely tough choices, some of which can impact the earnings of its top players, since some maximum contracts are tied to awards recognition. It's an assignment that requires a lot of research and fairness — and one this corner takes seriously. Most years, Postmedia gets an official vote, either from myself or colleague Mike Ganter. It was my turn for 2023-24 and, while some choices were more obvious, others are worth explaining. Advertisement 2 Article content WOLSTAT: Explaining my official NBA awards ballot, including voting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP Back to video We'll start with the big one: NBA MVP. Nikola Jokic ultimately became just the ninth three-time winner of the most prestigious regular-season award. He's the best player in the league. My surprise was how resoundingly Jokic won it (79 of 99 first-place votes). Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had an absurdly good year himself, as did Luka Doncic, but they were nowhere close. Even Giannis Antetokounmpo had another great two-way season and finished miles behind in fourth, which is where he landed on my ballot. I also had New York's Jalen Brunson fifth, which is where he ended up, and Doncic third, which was his official finish, too. Article content But I had Hamilton's Gilgeous-Alexander first, just as I'd ranked him in three straw polls conducted by ESPN's Tim Bontemps throughout the season. While Jokic had the strongest finish, we shouldn't ignore that Gilgeous-Alexander was better through December and neck-and-neck the rest of the way. Plus, Gilgeous-Alexander is an excellent defender (though Jokic is better at that end than he's given credit for), just as dominant in the clutch and took his team from 10th in the extremely tough Western Conference to first while averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and an NBA-best two steals per game. Advertisement 3 Article content Some will claim there's bias at work here, since three of Gilgeous-Alexander's 15 first-place votes came from the Canadian voters (myself, Sportsnet's Michael Grange and the Toronto Star ‘s Doug Smith), but I don't see it that way. Gilgeous-Alexander deserved to win MVP as much as Jokic did, particularly if you factor in that the award doesn't always go to the league's best player. If that was the case, Michael Jordan and LeBron James would have at least 10 MVPs instead of five and four, respectively, while greats like Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant would not have just one. Also, if I was biased, would I say that Canadian hoops icon Steve Nash probably didn't deserve either of his MVPs? Nash, like Karl Malone and Allen Iverson, Russell Westbrook and even Embiid last year, took MVP honours partly because they had the best story that year. Gilgeous-Alexander and his Thunder weaved the best story in 2023-24 and, since he was in close to a dead heat with Jokic, he was a deserving winner (not to mention the opinion held by many that two-time winners like Jokic should be held to a higher standard if they want to win a third, which is part of the reason Antetokounmpo hasn't won a third). Advertisement 4 Article content The All-NBA results aren't out yet, but I had Jayson Tatum on the first team with Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, Antetokounmpo and Doncic, not Brunson, because I believe MVP and All-NBA are different animals. All-NBA should incorporate team success more and reward Boston for being by far the best team in the league. Tatum and Brunson had nearly identical numbers, so he got the edge, but Brunson was a better MVP candidate because he carried a far weaker Knicks team. Brunson led my second team, along with Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards and Kevin Durant. Advertisement 5 Article content LeBron James, who apparently is ageless, led my third team (and was strongly considered for the second team), with Stephen Curry, Tyrese Haliburton, Devin Booker and Domantas Sabonis. NBA SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR My ballot : Naz Reid, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Malik Monk. Official finish : Reid, Monk, Bobby Portis (Bogdanovic was fifth). I caught some heat from Sacramento fans for this one. While Monk was awesome and the Kings fell apart late when he got hurt, they did have two fantastic players already who did much of the heavy lifting all year. Bogdanovic, on the other hand, carried the Hawks when star guard Trae Young went down for months. The team was way better with him on the court than not. I'm surprised he didn't get more support. Advertisement 6 Article content Reid was brilliant for the Wolves, both with Karl-Anthony Towns healthy and when he had to step in for Towns later in the year. He shot 41% from three, rebounded well and had much better advanced stats than Monk. An easy choice for me, but it was quite close for others (352 points for Reid, 342 for Monk with just two more first-place votes for Reid). Here are the awards that would be considered by most as pretty obvious: NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR My ballot : Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller. Official finish : Same. Holmgren got off to a great start and was actually the betting leader before the calendar changed to 2024, but Wembanyama's remarkable first season could not be denied in the end. Holmgren, of the Oklahoma City Thunder, was a worthy runner-up, while Miller made the many pundits who thought his selection by Charlotte over Scoot Henderson (sheepishly raises hand) look a bit foolish, at least in Year 1. Advertisement 7 Article content I also put Miami's Jaime Jacquez and Houston's Amen Thompson on my all-rookie first team, Golden State's Brandin Podziemski, OKC's Cason Wallace, Memphis swingman GG Jackson, Dallas big man Dereck Lively II and Golden State's Trace Jackson-Davis on the all-rookie second team. The results haven't been announced yet, but I think Podziemski will crack the first team and doubt Jackson, the NBA's youngest player but already a dynamic scorer, will make the cut. NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR My ballot : Rudy Gobert, Wembanyama, Bam Adebayo. Official finish : Same. Toyed with the idea of giving Wembanyama his first of many nods to come, but Gobert couldn't be denied for a fourth time. I also had Herbert Jones and Alex Caruso on my all-defensive first team. Jones is the best wing defender in the NBA without much doubt, while Caruso is a relentless difference-maker deserving of a second straight selection. Advertisement 8 Article content The Lakers' Davis was first-team calibre, but I ran out of room. I also had Jalen Suggs, Derrick White, Lu Dort and Jarrett Allen on my second team. NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER My ballot : Tyrese Maxey, Coby White, Jalen Williams. Official finish : Maxey, White, Alperen Sengun, Williams. This one came down to how you feel about who should get this award and the spirit of what it represents. My take is it's a lot harder to jump from really good to close-to-All-NBA level the way Maxey did, compared to going from around replacement level to solid starter the way White did. Sengun and Williams both also made impressive leaps and Brunson went from close to all-star level to fifth in my NBA MVP vote, which is another monster jump. NBA CLUTCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR My ballot : DeMar DeRozan, Steph Curry, Gilgeous-Alexander. Official finish : Curry, DeRozan, Gilgeous-Alexander. Voters were pretty split on this one, but ultimately decided Curry was slightly better in the clutch, which is fair. NBA COACH OF THE YEAR My ballot : Mark Daigneault, Jamahl Mosley, Chris Finch. Official finish : Same. @WolstatSun Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : WOLSTAT: Explaining my official NBA awards ballot, including voting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake This Week in Flyers

That's when the franchise will be able to map out a more certain direction moving forward after finding out the results of the NBA's draft lottery.

On the five year anniversary of the biggest shot in franchise history, the Raptors failed to get the right bounces at the 2024 NBA draft lottery.

Obviously it will take time to know the full impacts of what went down on Sunday, and that includes the fate of the Raptors, but some of the takeaways are pretty obvious: