In what’s projected to be a down year for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, the league’s lone Canadian squad already has questions about where it will play for the upcoming season but also if key contributors will stick around.
The best basketball betting sites have released new Toronto Raptors betting props for the 2020-21 NBA season, such as whether they’ll play in Toronto this season, if Masai Ujiri or Kyle Lowry will still be with the team when the campaign concludes and if the 6ix God himself, Drake, will be sitting courtside for a game this year.
The obvious answer to a lot of these questions may be right in front of you given the way the Toronto Raptors odds are laid out, but let’s break them down and analyze which way bettors should lean:
Toronto Raptors’ Home in 2020-21
| Option | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -250 |
| No | +170 |
Odds as of December 3 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
My colleague Sam Mendelsohn may have broken this prop down a bit with his piece on the Toronto Raptors’ odds of playing in Tampa Bay for the upcoming season, and the Amalie Arena should be a great alternative for the Raps. However, will they play in Canada this season? Oddsmakers seem to suggest it’s very likely with the “Yes” option at -250 and “No” coming back at +170.
As glorious as it is to watch the Raptors play on their home court, I’m dubious they’ll be able to play in Toronto again by the time the playoffs get started in May of 2021. Obviously, the main reason is exactly why they’re playing in Tampa Bay to begin with and that’s COVID-19.
Look, making a prediction on border relations and how this virus will be contained is very tricky and while I’d like to be optimistic about cross-border travel in the near future, May 2021 may be too soon considering vaccines still need to be approved and given to the masses. I’d side with “No” at this stage as an emotional hedge but it’s a prop I’ll be happy to be wrong about.
Masai Ujiri’s Future with the Raptors
| Option | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -110 |
| No | -130 |
Odds as of December 3 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Oddsmakers have made it nearly a coin flip whether Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri will stick around in Toronto by the time the playoffs roll around, with Yes at -110 and the “No” option the favorite at -130.
Ujiri is beloved in Toronto for the way he has rebuilt the franchise into a championship contender each season with his shrewd drafting and trades, so I lean to him sticking it out with Toronto at least until the conclusion of the 2021 playoffs.
The main reason you should bet “No” is because Ujiri might be the most sought-after front office executive in the NBA and he has yet to jump ship. The Knicks and Wizards both reportedly made very compelling offers last year for him to switch teams and become their architect, but he still stuck around.
The Raptors have too much to offer from an international standpoint and the backing of an entire country so unless a team is ready to make him a part-owner and make him an offer he can’t refuse, Ujiri will remain in Toronto.
Lowry on the Move?
| Option | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -400 |
| No | +250 |
Odds as of December 3 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Kyle Lowry may go down as the greatest Toronto Raptor of all time but let’s not pretend he’s untouchable. The Raptors are at the proverbial “fork in the road” for the franchise because while Lowry is still playing at an all-star level, the fact remains he’s 34 years old and is coming off a massive contract, which he certainly earned. Does that mean Ujiri and company want to pony up another $100 million for three more seasons of Lowry? I’m skeptical.
If you’re betting the “No” on this prop at +250, essentially what you’re betting on is the Raptors struggling out of the gate and Toronto brass trying to get something in a trade for an effective player on an expiring contract. Given Lowry’s playoff pedigree and talent, there would be a lot of suitors lining up to trade for him in hopes he can push them over the top to challenge for the NBA championship. I’d lean to the “No” option but would understand if the Raptors are loyal and ride him till the wheels fall off.
A Drake Appearance in Tampa?
| Option | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yes | -850 |
| No | +450 |
Odds as of December 3 at [Sportsbook not available for your region]
Nobody has been a bigger ambassador for the Toronto Raptors franchise than Drake aka Drizzy aka Champagne Papi aka The 6ix God. The pop star has been front and center for nearly all of the Raptors’ recent success in the NBA and considering he’s from Toronto, he’d likely have already quarantined sufficiently to be able to attend a game, that’s assuming it’s even played in Toronto.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m dubious the Canadian government will allow the Raptors to travel back and forth across the border, so I think the only way Drake will be able to sit courtside at a game is if he attends a road game where they’re allowing fans or if he travels to Tampa Bay for a “home” game. Take the “Yes” if you can stomach dropping $850 to make $100.
