Raptors banking on internal growth after quiet off-season

TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO – The Raptors considered it, they really did.

Fresh off a 48-win season in which their club exceeded all reasonable expectations, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster went into the summer preaching patience. Their stated goal was to keep the team’s young core intact and let it use the off-season to continue growing.

However, plans can change quickly in the NBA. When a future Hall of Fame talent and all-time great player like Kevin Durant suddenly becomes available, you’re forced to re-evaluate. And that’s what the Raptors did, at least to some degree.

Internally, they debated what they would be willing to give up for Durant, and, just as importantly, what they wouldn’t. They kicked the tires on Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Deandre Ayton and others. They contemplated whether it was the right time to expedite the process and go all in. That shouldn’t surprise anyone – this is a front office that likes to keep its options open – but neither should the end result.

After sending shockwaves around the league with his trade request in June, Durant will open the season back in Brooklyn. Phoenix matched the offer sheet Ayton signed with Indiana, so he remains a member of the Suns. The rebuilding Jazz sent Gobert and Mitchell to Minnesota and Cleveland, respectively, for massive hauls of prospects and draft picks.

Meanwhile, the Raptors opted to stay the course. In part, it was another vote of confidence in the long-term vision – what they’re building and the pieces they already have in place. Mostly, though, it tells us where they see themselves on the contention spectrum. This is not a team that’s ready to push its chips in.

“We always look at those things,” said Ujiri, who kicked off