Raptors' offseason moves shows team is heading in the right direction

"Everybody says Toronto can't do this or Toronto can't sign back their own free agents, well I just proved that wrong... I'm back."

And Kyle Lowry isn't the only Raptor staying in Toronto either. Lowry (4 years/$48M), Patrick Patterson (3 years/$18M), and Grevis Vasquez (2 years/$13M) will all return to the Raptors looking to build off last season's progress when the team reached the postseason for the first time since 2008.

The deals don't come cheap, the three players are receiving significant raises, but consider the following:

On top of re-signing Lowry, Patterson, and Vasquez, adding Lou Williams (via a trade with the Hawks) and James Johnson (2 years/$5M contract as a free-agent), helps bolster the second unit. Williams provides much-needed bench scoring while Johnson is an effective wing defender. Johnson will help ease the burden that was placed on DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross in last season's first round playoff loss to Brooklyn.

2014-2015 Predicted Depth Chart

These maneuvers fall in line with the plan Masai Ujiri laid out when he was named GM just over a year ago. Take calculated risks on young players and create a competitive environment that will maximize the opportunities for those players to reach their potential.

Where Ujiri is really willing to take his chances is in the draft, as demonstrated with the surprise selection of Bruno Caboclo with the 20th overall pick in late June. Caboclo will make his debut with the team at the Las Vegas Summer League on Friday.

With their young and energized core the Raptors are coming back to prove that there's nothing they can't do. They're not there yet, but the team is on the right track.