I'm gonna come clean. I'm mad at the Raptors.
I want somebody to beat LeBron. I hate that the Cavs can half or quarter butt-cheek their way through a season and still make the Finals because they have LeBron and guys like Jeff Green or J.R. Smith will remember how to play for a game or two in a series.
The Raptors somehow suckered me into thinking they were actually as good as their record and their point differential. Me, dummy.
So, as retribution, and because I think it's what would be best for their fans, the franchise, and the players involved, I think they should blow it up.
Let's help them!
It's hard to figure out how they could trade Lowry, who is 30+ and making a ton of money, or Derozan, who is nearing 30 and also making a ton of money. Ibaka seems nigh untradeable. Valanciunas has questionable trade value, though he's still young.
But let's try. So give me your best ideas for how the Raps can trade away Lowry, Derozan, and Valanciunas. Bonus points if you can figure out a reasonable Ibaka trade, though honestly I think he's just dead weight (a "clattering boneyard" as Bruce Arthur brilliantly put it).
I want to see the Raptors enter next year with a roster that no longer includes Lowry or Derozan. Ideally they should be featuring their young bench mob as their future. These trades needn't be aimed at allowing them to stay relevant. That ship has sailed. It's time for a true reset in Toronto.
VanVleet, Wright, OG, Siakam, Poeltl ---> That's the Raptors core. Everybody else can go.