As per Grantland:
The Raps blazed into the All-Star break, but their defense is shaky and they have two expendable expiring contracts in Landry Fields and Chuck Hayes. Those guys alone won’t get you anything, but the Raps have a couple of future assets that have declined enough in value that Ujiri might include them in the right deal: their own first-round pick and Terrence Ross. (The same doesn’t apply to the 2016 Knicks first-rounder Toronto owns thanks to the ridiculous Andrea Bargnani heist.) Their own pick is a lock to fall in the mid-20s, and though this front office could absolutely nail a pick that low, the odds are always against it.
Ross has been coming off the bench since mid-January, and though he can shoot, the rest of his game has stagnated — especially his defense. The Raps are listening to incoming offers on Ross, per several league sources, and a couple of power forwards on borderline playoff teams stand out as intriguing targets: David West and Kevin Garnett.
This exact scenario of packaging Fields and Hayes, with a declining asset in Ross was coincidentally discussed on the podcast this morning as well. If packaged with Hansbrough as well, the Raptors have about $15 million in expiring contracts, which could be attractive for teams.
Word of caution, though, Masai Ujiri ahs explicitly stated that wouldn’t do any trade that sacrificed even a small piece of the future for an interim upgrade. So, if Ross is to be dealt, then Ujiiri has to really feel that there is no upswing in Ross’s game. Tim W discussed a number of trade scenarios that could improve the team, however, dealing with contenders is always tricky because, after all, why would Chicago trade you Taj Gibson?
Having said all that, of all the players that the Raptors could ship out, Ross is the least riskiest in terms of the chances of him blowing up to be a star in the league.
Personally, I’d see if the Grizzlies might be interested in Terrence Ross for Kosta Koufos. They have a strong defensive unit, and they might think that Ross could flourish in their system, especially under a veteran like Tony Allen.
