The Most Important Free Agent for Toronto Raptors to Land This Offseason

The Toronto Raptors' dreadful 9-15 stretch since the NBA All-Star break is enough of a reason for general manager Masai Ujiri to consider making changes to his roster over the offseason.

The 2015 free-agent class is littered with quality talent that could help the team in a variety of ways, from rebounding to interior defense.

Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies, LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers and Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers are just some of the names drawing major attention before the frenzy even begins. It's a frontcourt-loaded pool with a litany of options for a team in need of more size and toughness. 

It would be a fantasy scenario for Toronto to sign any one of those players, although they're all likely to stay put. If they do leave, they may prefer the spotlight of a bigger market like New York or Los Angeles. 

Even so, All-Star Kyle Lowry's four-year, $48 million contract this past summer proved elite-level players signing with Toronto is no longer a pipe dream. It's not out of the realm of possibility to think Ujiri could work his magic again by signing another big name to commit north of the border. 

The Raptors have a little over $49 million wrapped up in nine players for next season, per BasketballInsiders.com. To max out cap space, the franchise will need to part ways with rotation players Amir Johnson, Lou Williams and Tyler Hansbrough as their contracts are all expiring. 

Ujiri can either play it safe and hand out new deals to those key contributors, or he can swing for the fences and use that space to go after the big guns on the open market. 

With his track record, you can rest assured nothing is ever off the table. 

An Upgrade at Power Forward is Needed

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

It's going to be extremely difficult to convince supporters of the franchise that Amir Johnson's time with the Raptors has run its course. 

His work ethic on the hardwood and endearing personality off it have won over the masses, making him one of the most popular Raptors ever. Guard DeMar DeRozan even said at the start of the year Johnson is "our heart and soul," per Holly MacKenzie of Raptors.com. 

Is that enough of a reason to overlook numbers that are on the downswing and two wonky ankles that will never be 100 percent again?

Year	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Blocks	PER
2012-13	28.7	10.0	7.5	1.4	17.3
2013-14	28.8	10.4	6.6	1.1	15.4
2014-15	26.6	9.4	6.1	0.8	15.3

He twisted his right ankle after landing on teammate Jonas Valanciunas' foot on April 3. The team recently announced that while his ankle is improving, there's still no timetable for his return. 

Despite being just 27 years old, the wear and tear on Johnson's body probably makes him feel 10 years older. He's built a reputation for playing through pain, but it's that recklessness that makes it nerve-wracking to invest more dollars into an uncertain future. 

His defense and flawless ability to set screens make him an invaluable contributor that doesn't need flashy box scores for his presence to be felt. Unfortunately, the Raptors could use a big-numbers 4 instead to take some of the pressure off of third-year big Valanciunas. 

Johnson is 26th in scoring and 21st in rebounding among power forwards, per ESPN.com. 

He would be perfect in a reserve role where he could play fewer minutes, preserve his ankles and come off the pine to help make key defensive stops. It's all about the money, though, as the Raptors will need the room made by his expiring contract to get the upgrade they need. 

Paul Millsap is the Answer

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Calling a two-time NBA All-Star who currently leads the No. 1 team in the conference in scoring "underrated" sounds awfully silly.  

That comes with the territory for Paul Millsap of the Atlanta Hawks, though. He's made a career off flying under the radar and being a beacon of consistency.

Averaging 16.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists on the year, Millsap still feels he can be even better than he already is, per Michael Pina of Rolling Stone: 

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"The sky is still the limit. I feel I can continue to grow as a player. I have a long time to continue to progress with my shooting, continue to keep my ball handling tight, continue to stay in shape. You know, all of it. I'm not going to pinpoint one thing, because I've worked hard to try to have all aspects of my game be pretty good. I want to grow everywhere."

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There haven't been any rumors surrounding the Raptors possibly being interested in Millsap. That's been the case for a majority of the league, though.

It's hard to imagine him leaving such an ideal situation in Atlanta. Although, as Pina points out, other teams will have a financial edge should push come to shove:

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All this is to say that if the Hawks want to maintain their status as a title contender in the years ahead they can't afford to let Millsap go. Unfortunately, they only have his Early Bird Rights, meaning they can only re-sign him to a four-year deal (as opposed to five) with a 7.5 percent annual increase. That contract would start at about $16.6 million, ultimately paying nearly $74 million in total.

But if bigger fish like Aldridge and Gasol stay with their respective teams, it'll be interesting to see who throws bags of cash in Millsap's direction. The San Antonio Spurs (if Tim Duncan retires), New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers (probably not, but they have as much cap space as anyone), Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons are a handful of teams who could slide a max contract under Millsap's nose.

And the standard four-year max those teams can offer is about $5.5 million more than what Atlanta can spend using the Early Bird Exception. 

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If Toronto decides to keep Amir Johnson or Lou Williams, there will only be enough cap room to outbid other teams for players using the Mid-Level Exception, as Daniel Hackett of Raptors HQ notes. 

It's essentially going to cost the Raptors an arm and a leg to close a deal with Millsap. The remainder of the roster would have to be filled with minimum salaries. 

Is Millsap worth all of the effort? Absolutely. 

He's grown into a legitimate stretch 4 since his days with the Utah Jazz, shooting 35.8 percent from behind the arc in two seasons with Atlanta. 

“I was in a system in Utah that was primarily post-up, not enough spacing,” Millsap recounts, per Simon Legg of NBA Australia. “Then I come to a team that has a lot of spacing.” 

The Raptors average nearly as many three-point attempts (24.9) as the Hawks (26.1), so the opportunities to stretch the floor will be just as bountiful. 

He's only 6'8", so don't expect much rim protection from a player averaging a block a year for his career. That doesn't mean he's a weak defender, though. Millsap likes to use his body to outmuscle the opposition, creating steal opportunities with his quick hands while avoiding fouls. 

It would be solid pairing with Valanciunas from a offensive/defense perspective. 

The Hawks' 101.0 defensive rating is ninth in the NBA. Perhaps Millsap could help bring the Raptors back to credibility in that department. Toronto has fallen all the way to 25th after being a top-10 unit last season. 

His adaptable brand of offense makes him such a lethal weapon. Not only can he get hot from the perimeter, but he's also savvy enough to work inside and create scoring opportunities around the basket with 51.1 percent of his points coming in the paint, per NBA.com. 

Millsap is also one of five players (Marc Gasol, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and DeMarcus Cousins) in the league averaging at least 16.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists, per Basketball-Reference.com. Amir Johnson and backup Patrick Patterson only average 3.5 dimes between them. 

According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Millsap left money and years on the table in 2013 so he could score one last major deal at the age of 30. 

The chip on his shoulder has paid off. His numbers and Atlanta's 58-19 record speak for themselves. 

You'll likely find him back wearing a Hawks uniform next season, but don't be surprised if you hear stories of Ujiri throwing his name in the hat to make things interesting. 

Millsap may not be the "important" free agent the Raptors actually land, but he's certainly the one they need. 

Christopher Walder is a Featured Columnist for the Toronto Raptors at Bleacher Report, as well as a staff writer for Raptors HQ at SB Nation. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports.

*All statistics are courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.*