Raptors face key off-season questions

The Toronto Raptors' 2015-16 season was undoubtedly the best in the history of the 21-year-old franchise.

Led by all-star guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, the Raptors won a team-record 56 games in the regular season before making an unprecedented playoff run that included the team's first series victory in over 15 years and its first appearance in the conference finals.

As Toronto looks to take the next step toward contending for an NBA championship, here's a look at a few key questions facing the team this off-season:

Will DeRozan stay?

If the Raptors want to remain an Eastern Conference contender for the foreseeable future, then they must retain their best scorer. With the NBA salary cap set to increase by around 29 per cent next season as the league's new $24 billion US television deal kicks in, DeRozan is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract in an effort to cash in.

Many experts have pegged the shooting guard as a player who will command the league's maximum salary of about $25 million per season, and the Compton, Calif., native delivered several performances in the post-season that solidified this notion — particularly Games 5 and 7 of the Indiana and Miami series as well as Games 3 and 4 of the conference final against Cleveland.

The Raptors ought to show DeRozan the money, even if it strains the team's future cap space. A top-10 scorer at 23.5 points per game this season, he also earned the third-most free throws in the league. DeRozan's productivity and ability to get to the line would be sorely missed if he walks this summer.

Although the six-year veteran has recently expressed his desire to stay in Toronto, a big offer from another team, perhaps from DeRozan's hometown Los Angeles Lakers, could sway him when free agency opens on July 1. The only clear advantage the Raptors have to besting a rival offer — as well as the potential increase in endorsement money that comes with playing in a city like L.A. — is their ability to add an additional fifth year to DeRozan's deal under league rules designed to give teams a better chance at retaining their own players.

What about Biz?

During the playoff run, Raptors fans became enamoured with the rim-protecting, finger-wagging game of Bismack Biyombo as the fifth-year big man posted impressive playoff averages of 8.2 points, 11 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per contest after taking over as the starting centre during the second-round series against Miami.

But the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Congo native has reportedly also caught the eye of several NBA general managers, and his market value is rumoured to be swirling in the $16-17 million per season range if, as expected, he opts out of the final year on his deal.

Those numbers would likely price out the Raptors entirely if they bring back DeRozan on a max-money deal, but even if DeRozan leaves, the team couldn't justify bringing back Biyombo at that price tag. Starting center Jonas Valanciunus's freshly inked $64 million deal is set to kick in with a cap hit of $14.3 million on next year's books, and spending $30 million per year on a position that is becoming less important in the modern NBA wouldn't make very much sense.

Help at the 4?

One point that became increasingly evident throughout the Raptors' post-season run is the team's need for improvement at power forward. Aging veteran Luis Scola's contract is set to expire, and the 36-year-old's struggles this post-season make his return to the team unlikely. That said, when Scola was benched mid-playoffs for Patrick Patterson, the results were not dramatically better as the Kentucky product struggled with inconsistency as a starter.

So where can the Raptors look to fill their need for an upgrade at the four?

First off, the team could look to the draft. The Raptors currently hold the ninth and 27th overall picks and could use one of them to replace Scola. However, while there are some prospects available at No. 9 that would make sense for the Raptors' needs, it's likely that those players would take a couple of seasons to make an impact.

Toronto could also look to the free-agent market. General manager Masai Ujiri could decide to reunite uber-efficient Al Horford with DeMarre Carroll, his former teammate on the Hawks, or perhaps bring in a veteran big man in search of one last title run, such as Pau Gasol. If the Raptors decide to go the free-agency route, the question is whether or not they will have enough money to compete in what are sure to be expensive bidding wars.

Ujiri could also trade for a four, perhaps with a kind of reverse-Rudy-Gay deal where the Raptors package a bunch of their picks and a few role players to land an elite power forward.

No matter which direction the GM chooses, this off-season — much like the entire past season — figures to be one to remember in Toronto.