Lowry 33; Ma Gasol 34 . . .
and...?
Lowry has proven to be a regular season player.
No extra gear.
Kawhi really had to bust his ass to drag the team to the top.
Also, short PG's of the semi-round variety don't age well.
Gasol seems on his last legs. Doesn't even seem in shape anymore. Still a smart player. But he's really a bench player now.
Siakim 25 and becoming a star. But still somewhat raw.
OG 21 and just getting started.
In between you have marginal players like Norm Powell, FVV (great heart), and Ibaka who is enigmatic.
Lowry, Ma Gasol and Ibaka earn $78M next year combined, but are all ending deals. Will TOR be able to re-sign them at reasonable rates? Is that even a wise idea? How do they move on?
Valanciunas is gone. FVV is a grinder but hard to see him as a legit starter. Just a strong backup PG.
They can be a 4-5 playoff team next year, and duck out in a round or two. Or try to move Gasol for something (which might include a bad contract as well). Or move Lowry. Ibaka might have the most appeal.
They're in a tricky in-between land.
And those ending contracts require a decision.
Even if you re-sign Lowry to a reasonable 3 year deal, keep Gasol cheaply, and Ibaka stays, how do you fill in around them and guard against aging?
They need to make a decision this year or next Summer.
Not sure a lot of cap space does too much good in TOR. And next year FA class supposed to be weak anyway.