“If a player is being picked 20th – I hate to say it like this – there’s something they lack,”
– Masai Ujiri
There is perhaps a hidden message in the above quote. Sure, every year there are rumblings about an effort to move up the draft in order to acquire better talent, but by now the fans must roll their eyes when they hear the suggestion. The Raptors, in their near 21-year history, have never moved up the draft.
What Ujiri spews is invariably true. In the past 34 years, only four players have been drafted at #20 and gone on to become an all-star – Larry Nance, Zydrunas Iglauskas, Zach Randolph, Jameer Nelson. Of the other 30 picks, only a handful have become serviceable NBA players. Paul Pressey, Donatas Motiejunas, Evan Fournier – all solid players. The rest of the crop is littered with players like Alexis Ajinca, Kareem Rush, Renaldo Balkman – and the like. Last year’s 20th pick, Bruno Caboclo, is almost undisputedly the most raw player in the entire Association. There’s no telling which way he’ll sway. But there’s enough sample size to endorse Ujiri’s theory.
But Masai Ujiri’s tenure thus far in Toronto has been as cautious as they come. If the organic growth phase is truly over, it’s hard to envision the big changes. At this point, it seems like tweaks with the role players are more probable than any tinkering with the core of the team.
Two names that keep popping up are Amir Johnson and Lou Williams. Michael Grange reported yesterday that both of those players probably won’t be resigned. If that’s the case, Masai will have his hands full trying to replace two vital roles in the team.
Tristan Thompson’s name has surfaced frequently. Without looking at the money aspect, Thompson would be a great fit. He’s not as polished offensively as Amir, but he has age (and health) on this side. But there are reasons why acquiring Thompson won’t (and probably shouldn’t) happen. Thompson will be looking for a max contract or somewhere close to it. While he’s a solid player, he hasn’t earned that kind of money yet, and his reputation was inflated in a playoff series where he out-rebounded a Warriors’ team who’s tallest player for large stretches was Draymond Green.
Thompson has upside, but you can’t throw around max deals based on future potential.
An interesting player who comes to mind: Ed Davis. He’s even more limited than Tristan Thompson offensively, but he’s a solid rim protector and will be infinitely cheaper. The problem with that suggestion: Dwane Casey would never play him, and he’s not someone that could be slotted in as a starter to replace Amir. Like Thompson, he also wouldn’t stretch the floor and would probably need to be slotted in as a back-up center and paired with Patrick Patterson.
Another scenario worth exploring: Perhaps Masai Ujiri doesn’t need to find a direct replacement for Amir at all. With the league transitioning into a small-ball era, Patrick Patterson might be ready to don a starting role at the 4, which would mean that Ujiri can find a cheaper alternative for someone to be Patterson’s back-up.
With the risk of being flamed, I’m intrigued about the possibility of bringing Anthony Bennett home. Everyone’s aware by now that Vasquez publicly announced the Wolves and the Rockets are interested in his services, but a quick glance at both those rosters shows there really isn’t a viable trade to do with either of those teams.
Bennett is an option though, especially if the Wolves throw in a pick with it. It’s a low-risk deal. Does he just collapse and forever fall into the NBA’s basement with all the home-town pressure on his shoulders if he comes to Toronto? It’s a thought that will cross everyone’s mind. But the flip-side is that he really can’t get any worse, and maybe he’ll be motivated to play in Toronto.
I mean, surely this version of Anthony Bennett lies latent somewhere, ready to be uncovered. If he doesn’t pan out – you lose Vasquez, and his 6.6 million dollars comes off the books while Anthony Bennett would get sent to the Raptors’ future D-league team.
Losing Vasquez is not cataclysmic in the least. Talent-wise, the point-guard position is the most stacked position in the league. Acquiring another solid point-guard like Greivis Vasquez won’t be too strenuous a task.
The Corey Joseph to Toronto rumours would be just beautiful if they turned into fruition. But the Raptors will be fighting against an entire Association for his services.
In reference to Grange’s article which was talked about earlier, it’s interesting to note that he throws around the possibility of Tyson Chandler or Demarre Carroll – both of whom would need to be overpaid for if they were acquired. This is, perhaps, the most frightening scenario. Acquiring veteran pieces to a young team in a semi-rebuild make sense if you do it right. Washington did it with Paul Pierce and that turned out pretty well for them. But to bring in Pierce, all they had to do was sign him to a two-year deal worth 11 million. Such a move won’t necessarily cripple your future. But bringing in someone like Tyson Chandler could be somewhere in the 13 million / year range. He’ll also be 33 by the time the season starts.
That move reeks of Bryan Colangelo
If the Raptors are going to overpay for one of those two, Carroll would be a more interesting option, as ‘3+D’ players are hot commodity these days. He’s about five years younger than Chandler, and would be a huge upgrade over Terrence Ross at the 3.
We are just a stone’s throw away from draft night. In the next 24 hours, some things will be made more clear. It’s going to be an interesting month ahead.
