Milwaukee Bucks: Examining the offseasons to date of playoff rivals

By Adam McGee | Jul 31, 2017

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 16: A close up of the NBA Playoff logo is seen before the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards during the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on April 16, 2017 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Toronto Raptors

Additions: Kyle Lowry (returning free agent), Serge Ibaka (returning free agent), C.J. Miles, OG Anunoby, Kennedy Meeks, Alfonzo McKinnie

Subtractions: P.J. Tucker, DeMarre Carroll, Patrick Patterson, Cory Joseph,

Heading into the offseason, conventional wisdom suggested the Raptors wouldn’t be able to bring both Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka back, but not for the first time Masai Ujiri was able to find a solution.

That came in the form of a costly offloading of DeMarre Carroll’s contract, meaning the Raptors will send two picks to Brooklyn next summer. For a team whose timeline for winning is very much focused in the now, that decision is easy to understand, even if they may ultimately regret it.

C.J. Miles adds an intriguing offensive punch that the Raptors missed at times when Lowry and DeMar DeRozan struggled last year, but the losses of Carroll, P.J. Tucker and Patterson could really hurt them defensively.

Better or Worse?: Overall, the Raptors are going to be pretty similar to what they were last year, but with key players getting older they are approaching a race against time. While maintaining status quo isn’t exciting, in an ever-weakening Eastern Conference, it’s not the worst bet for a franchise hoping to prolong the run of their greatest team of all-time.

The Raptors have gambled on others slipping or injury luck going their way, and it’s hard to rule out that they may be able to cash that in come Conference Finals time.

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