Projecting the Raptors' opening night roster for next season

Welcome to the new era of the Toronto Raptors.

After free agency opened Friday, the Raptors are set for a new direction in their franchise, with a few players joining the fold while seeing an additional couple of players depart for new adventures.

Most notably, the team lost Fred VanVleet to the Houston Rockets, as he got a too-good-to-pass-up offer that will pay him $130 million over the next three seasons. After two seasons, Toronto appears to have cut ties with Dalano Banton, who recently met with the Boston Celtics as he’s now an unrestricted free agent with the Raptors not extending him a qualifying offer. While Banton could be back, it’s hard to imagine where he’d slot into an already crowded roster.

But even with VanVleet and likely Banton leaving, the vast majority of next year’s roster projects to be mostly the same as the team that closed out last year’s season.

There’s been a few tweaks around the edges — Toronto picked up Dennis Schröder and Jalen McDaniels in free agency while drafting Gradey Dick — but it’s not like fans will be walking into Scotiabank Arena next season while not recognizing the majority of their roster.

Here are the 17 players likely to make Toronto’s lineup for next season when it tips off in October.

• Pascal Siakam
• OG Anunoby
• Scottie Barnes
• Gary Trent Jr.
• Jakob Poeltl
• Dennis Schröder
• Gradey Dick
• Jalen McDaniels
• Chris Boucher
• Thaddeus Young
• Otto Porter Jr.
• Precious Achiuwa
• Malachi Flynn
• Joe Wieskamp
• Christian Koloko
• Jeff Dowtin
• Ron Harper Jr.

One to keep an eye on is Markquis Nowell, a point guard out of Kansas State, who signed a two-way deal with the Raptors after going undrafted in this year’s NBA Draft. Nowell’s expected to head with the team to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas later this week, with a possible shot of making the team in October should he impress there.

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