The Toronto Raptors may have lost a big star in Kawhi Leonard this NBA offseason but remain formidable. They have almost the same core for the coming 2019-20 NBA season and the 2018-19 NBA Champions are going all out to make it back-to-back crowns.

Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, and Marc Gasol are still around to lead the Raptors campaign. However, it will also be the trio's last hurrah in Toronto since they have expiring contracts. Aside from that, the age factor comes into play. All are above 30 so it will be interesting how team president Masai Ujiri goes about it.

Of the names mentioned, critics would say that Lowry deserves another contract. He may be 33-years-old but there is no doubt that the five-time NBA All-Star has given the franchise something different. Before Leonard came in on a one-and-done deal, it was the 24th overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft that held up the Raptors' fort.

Lowry started his NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies back in 2006 before moving to the Houston Rockets in 2009. He found a home with the Toronto Raptors in 2012 and has since become a vital cog for the Raptors. On whether that tenure will come to an end after this season remains to be seen.

“Kyle has an incredible legacy here that I think we all have underrated,” Ujiri said in a report from Yahoo Sports. “We’ve had our ups and downs and bumps and grinds, but the inner core of who he is as a player and what he’s done with this franchise, he deserves that.”

As mentioned in a previous post, the Raptors want to deal with reality after the 2019-20 NBA season. They feel they still have enough talent to make it back-to-back NBA titles. For Gasol and Ibaka, churning out a good performance to gain interest from teams next summer.

The road back to the NBA Finals will be a tough one for the Raptors. They will first have to deal with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference. From there, things will not get any easier as they wait which powerhouse team survives out West.

Kyle Lowry toronto raptors
Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors watches the action against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, Jan. 23, 2019. Andy Lyons/Getty Images
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