Aaron Rose: Raptors NBA Trade Deadline Special
The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and our man Aaron Rose is on hand to discuss what that means for the Raptors.
The Toronto Raptors aren’t done yet.
With just under a week to go before the NBA trade deadline, the Toronto Raptors are “definitely” exploring more trades, Raptors president Masai Ujiri acknowledged earlier this month. The goal, Ujiri said, is to create flexibility as the organization begins to reshape its roster around Scottie Barnes with an eye toward the future.
As trade talks pick up, the only certainties are Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Gradey Dick will still be on this team come nightfall on Feb. 8. Other than that, everything appears to be on the table.
Bruce Brown Jr.
Bruce Brown Jr. is certainly the Raptors player most likely to be traded in. The 27-year-old still holds a ton of value as a coveted role player who helped the Denver Nuggets clinch a championship last season. Between his reasonable contract and championship know-how, the market for Brown is expected to be robust.
The only issue for Toronto will be the NBA’s trade restriction which prohibits the Raptors from aggregating him in a trade alongside other players through the remainder of the season. That shouldn’t pose too much of a problem for the Raptors who are said to be looking for a first-round pick and a “quality player” in return for Brown, according to Marc Stein.
The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks have repeatedly been mentioned as potential landing spots for Brown. It’s tough to see a deal with the Lakers making sense for both parties, but Toronto should have enough suitors to start a bidding war for Brown ahead of the trade deadline.
Gary Trent Jr.
Gary Trent Jr. has been no stranger to trade rumors over the past couple of seasons and nothing has changed this year for the 25-year-old sharpshooter whose name has once again popped up in trade talks.
It hasn’t been the season anyone would have hoped for from Trent who has seen his scoring dip to 11.6 points per game, the lowest number since his sophomore season. That said, he remains a lights-out three-point shooter with a 41.5% stroke this year.
Toronto is unlikely to get a ton in return for the 6-foot-5 Trent who heads into unrestricted free agency this summer, but his relatively young age and floor spacing ability should be attractive to almost anyone in the league. The Rui Hachimura deal last season that saw the Los Angeles Lakers give up three second-round picks should be a reasonable comparison for Trent’s value considering his age and statistical output.
Chris Boucher
Chris Boucher is all that remains from the Raptors’ 2019 championship team and his days with the organization may be nearing an end.
The 31-year-old forward has been in and out of the rotation for Toronto with his minutes varying drastically from game to game. Considering his age, he doesn’t appear to be a long-term fit for the organization alongside Barnes and Toronto’s young core. While he can still be a valuable bench forward, his contract situation will complicate his trade value as he has $10.8 million remaining on his deal for next season.
Toronto is, however, said to be exploring deals involving Boucher, per Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy, and it seems likely the 6-foot-9 Canadian will be moving on at some point in the near future.
Jakob Poeltl
A Jakob Poeltl trade would be pretty startling considering Toronto acquired the 7-foot Austrian from the San Antonio Spurs at last year’s trade deadline for a first-round pick. That said, the Raptors brought Poeltl back anticipating his pick-and-roll partner Fred VanVleet would re-sign last summer. That, of course, never happened and Poeltl’s fit has been a little clunky in Toronto ever since.
The addition of Quickley last month should help make Poeltl a more comfortable offensive fit in the pick-and-roll, but at 28 years old Poeltl is closer in age to Siakam’s timeline than Barnes’. His complete lack of three-point shooting also makes him a lackluster fit alongside Barnes.
Ujiri suggested Toronto’s trade for Poeltl last year was good value because “it’s a fit on our team or it’s something else in the future.” It’s unclear what Ujiri meant by “something else,” but it’s possible Toronto may see value in flipping Poeltl for a younger more versatile center who better fits alongside Barnes moving forward.
Dennis Schröder
Like Poeltl, a deal involving Dennis Schröder would be surprising considering Toronto’s investment in him this past summer. However, the 30-year-old Schröder doesn’t fit Barnes’ timeline either and the 6-foot-1 point guard may prove more valuable to a contender looking for another bench guard ahead of the playoffs.
There hasn’t been much trade chatter involving Schöder so far, but it wouldn’t be surprising to hear his name come up in trade talks over the next few weeks. He proved last year with the Lakers that he can be a contributor on a post-season team and his contract should be cost-prohibitive for inquiring teams.
Losing Schröder would leave Toronto’s backcourt pretty bare, but it would allow the Raptors to see what the recently acquired Kira Lewis Jr. can provide before he hits free agency this summer.
First-Round Picks
Toronto suddenly has a surplus of draft capital this year with at least three picks expected to be in the top 32 selections this year. The Raptors are unlikely to move future draft picks for veteran players, but Ujiri acknowledged Toronto doesn’t plan to add three rookies to the team next season.
“There are ways to consolidate (picks), there are ways to attach (them) the contracts. There are ways to think really big if things happen where you have to pile on picks or put in potential deals,” Ujiri said.
If the Raptors don’t want to make this a long drawn-out rebuild, Toronto could look to package some of those future first-round picks with some of the aforementioned players to add another piece to the organization’s young core. A deal of that ilk may be more likely in the offseason, but Toronto has created flexibility it plans to move at some point in the coming months.
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