Over the last 12 months, the Raptors have gone from one of the NBA’s biggest sellers to arguably one of its most intriguing shoppers and along the way they’ve managed to jump-start a rebuild in remarkably quick fashion.
Around this time last year, the players inside the Raptors locker room were preparing to say their goodbyes. Norm Powell was on the verge of leaving town and the face of the franchise, star guard Kyle Lowry, was guaranteed to follow suit.
It appeared to be the end of an era. After the Raptors won the NBA championship in 2019, there was a slow drip of departures from that iconic roster.