The Toronto Raptors were going to be at the forefront of the NBA world on Friday night, and they certainly did not disappoint. On top of the fact they managed to retain some of their own players long-term, they also set the league on fire when they failed in their mission to bring back all of their big-name free agents.
Jakob Poeltl was one of the first names in free agency to come off the board, signing a very lucrative long-term deal that established him as a cornerstone of this franchise. Fred VanVleet was nearly retained with a long-term deal, but he chose to take a big payday in Houston.