A flurry of moves is making the Raptors’ biggest weakness even more glaring

Kicking off in full gear

The last 48 hours feel more like a week has passed, even though NBA Free Agency just started a couple of days ago. The Raptors have landed the central piece that opens themselves a new championship window, and this time it won’t be on a one-year rental — the Klaw will stay in Toronto for the foreseeable future. However, Kawhi Leonard’s return was not the only news that had just recently headlined this year’s free agency. Somewhere 500 miles down the road, a new Big Three had just formed in the City of Brotherly Love.

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The Boston Celtics just shipped disgruntled star Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks, and a couple of future second-rounders, shaking up the landscape in the Eastern Conference, as the 76ers emerge as a new powerhouse to rival their division co-contenders up north.

The Celtics, themselves, have also added another big man to bolster their front court by snatching center Mitchell Robinson from the defending champion New York Knicks, who, barring this move, have dealt new contracts to players with expiring deals to keep their championship roster intact. Further south in South Beach, the Greek Freak just joined the Miami Heat, who, alongside Bam Adebayo, will surely be an immovable force in the paint for any opposing team.

The Raptors’ trade for Leonard indicates that the front office sees a path towards winning a second championship. While he will surely elevate the team on both ends of the floor as one of the best two-way talents in the league, Toronto still has a glaring gap to fill, as other Eastern Conference teams are acquiring talent and front-court depth.

The Raptors’ search for a center

Well, this cannot be overstated, but it’s a sentence that has been echoing for the better part of last season. I may now sound like a broken record by saying this, but look around — other Eastern Conference teams are stacking up their front court with size and strength that works strongly against the Raptors’ style of play. Don’t believe me? Let me take you to the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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