The Raptors have a lot of questions to answer after losing to the Heat in the offseason

It wasn't particularly fun.

It's been a while since the Toronto Raptors had such a disappointing season. Not only did the Raptors end their 25-57 year with a 118-103 loss to the Miami Heat, their worst record since 2010-11, but there's no guarantee Toronto will keep their first-round pick this year.

But enough negativity.

There is reason to be optimistic about the future.

First, there is the route in Toronto. The future is about Scotty Barnes, who took a leap this offseason that the organization could only dream of. Any kind of step forward would be enough for Barnes after a stagnant sophomore season, but the 22-year-old forward jumped into the All-Star Game and finished the year averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists. 34.1% from three-point range.

On his side, Toronto has O.G. to lead the organization into a new era. Anunabi and Pascal Siakam were replaced by younger, better guards in Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.

Quickley will need to be re-signed, but there's no reason to think he won't be. He is pegged as a point guard of the future and finished the season averaging 18.6 points and 6.8 assists while shooting 39.5% from behind the arc in 38 games with the Raptors.

Barrett looked much better with Toronto. His defense needs work, but his offensive efficiency was off the charts with the Raptors. He averaged 21.8 points per game in 32 games as a Raptor, leading the organization in scoring.

Grady Dick, a rookie first-round pick, looks like a valuable rotation player. He bounced back from the start of the year and was one of the league's best corner three-point shooters. At the very least, he can open the floor for Toronto by finishing the year shooting 36.5% from three.

But Dick seems to have more in mind. He has shown that he is a high IQ player who makes good passes and can handle aggressive closeouts with creativity on the ball when needed. He had 14 points against the Heat, including a pair of mid-range jumpers and neat curls near the rim. Toronto can continue to work with Dick to improve his defense and hopefully develop his game with some improved conditioning.

Toronto has some flexibility on the rest of the roster. Aside from Kelly Olympique, Jacob Poeltl and Barrett, no one is on long-term contracts, and the Raptors could open up about $30 million in cap space to use in free agency this summer.

For that, Toronto will have to part ways with Gary Trent Jr. and Bruce Brown.

With Trent, it comes down to his unrestricted free agency and which teams decide to pursue the 25-year-old sharpshooter. He never developed into the player Toronto hoped he would be, but he showed he could be a light shooter whose defense ranged from frustrating to adequate depending on his level of involvement.

Brown's situation is a bit more complicated. He's owed $23 million in team options for next season, and it doesn't make sense for the organization to move forward. It probably makes sense to trade him or decline his option to create cap space at some point this summer.

The two make the most sense as a package deal for the Raptors. Re-sign Trent and leave or trade Brown, or let two guards walk and use the extra money to hit the free agency pool.

It's hard to tell who else is around.

Javon Freeman-Liberty is on a semi-guaranteed deal and will be available for training camp next year. Ochai Agbaji has a lot of work to do to improve his offense, but he should at least be back next year. Jalen McDaniels and Chris Boucher are signed for next season, but have struggled to make the rotation this year, and it wouldn't be surprising if Toronto opted to move on from two forwards.

Still, Toronto clearly has work to do. This season has shown how far the Raptors are from contention, but also how quickly things can change. Toronto has had 30 different players suit up for the organization this year, and hopefully there are building blocks here to help stabilize a strong future.

Next: Cleaning out the closet

The Raptors return home on Monday to clean out the locker.