Atlantic Division
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors lost Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green but they retained all of their other key pieces from their NBA Championship team of last season.
However, they have added nobody of note, the team is now a year older, and while there will presumably be some development of players like Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet, that will not be enough to both makeup for the loss of Leonard and Green, nor the aging and further deterioration of players like Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol.
I am not positive at all that this Toronto Raptors team is better than the Phoenix Suns anymore and unless they make a major move between now and when the two teams eventually face, I would not be shocked if the Suns were actually good enough to sweep them.
I won’t come right out and predict that (I too am pessimistic based on recent history), however, while I wouldn’t expect them to be swept, I’ll say: