No. 4. Toronto Raptors miss the playoffs for the first-time since 2013
A lot of factors have played into the demise of the Toronto Raptors this season, but they did not help themselves at the trade deadline this year, at least for their success this season. All season long, the Raptors have been trying to fill the voids in their frontcourt left behind by Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol and at the trade deadline, it was expected that they would make some big moves to bolster their roster, but they did the complete opposite.
The Raptors traded away Norman Powell, their breakout star on the wing, to the Portland Trail Blazers for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood. Trent Jr. is a great young talent on the wing, but the Raptors received no draft compensation for a high-level talent in Powell and they traded away a key player that had been fantastic for them all season long.
Not only did they trade Powell, but they decided not to trade Kyle Lowry at the last minute! There was a deal in place for the Raptors to send Lowry to the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Raptors decided not to and since the trade deadline, Lowry has played in just three games due to a foot injury.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: 4 teams who will regret not being “buyers” at the trade deadline
Since the All-Star break, the Raptors are 4-15 and they have been one of the worst teams in the league. Lowry, VanVleet and Siakam all dealing with some injuries and being in and out of the lineup definitely does not help their cause, but the Raptors is two games back from the Chicago Bulls for the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference and there is a very high chance that they miss the playoffs for the first-time since 2013.
The Raptors’ streak of five consecutive seasons with 50+ wins will end this season and after just winning their first championship in franchise history in 2019, it seems like this organization may be headed for a rebuild. Kyle Lowry is set to become a free agent at the end of the season and with not much cap space, things are not looking good for this team in regards to continuing to be title contenders in the Eastern Conference.
As a result, the Raptors will miss out on the playoffs entirely this season, not even making one of the play-in games, and they will wait for the NBA Draft Lottery to see where they will be picking in the 2021 NBA Draft.
