The NBA’s 3 p.m. trade deadline is less than an hour away and Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri continues to work.
The Raptors are dangling Patrick Patterson along with their major trade chip, the lesser of the Knicks or Nuggets 2016 first-round picks, in an attempt to upgrade at power forward. This is nothing new, but Ken Berger of CBS Sports reports at 2:09 that this is still the case.
While the Raptors were tied to names like Thad Young, Markieff Morris, P.J. Tucker, Kenneth Faried, Ryan Anderson, and Taj Gibson at different points in the past few weeks, no rumor ever really picked up steam. That left everyone to over-discuss this relatively even group of names, either over-selling themselves on names or talking themselves out of them. That’s entirely understandable, but take a step back and look at the potential frameworks.
If it’s Patterson, not a combination of salary-matching pieces, and that potential top-10 pick, would you offer that for Young? Tucker? Anderson? I’m guessing the answer is no in a lot of these cases.
If that’s what’s on the table, it almost certainly means a rental isn’t coming back. The pick is simply too valuable, Patterson too good a fit and too good a potential trade chip this offseason, and the chemistry of the team too strong to give all of that up for a marginal three-month upgrade. That likely rules out Anderson, and Al Horford isn’t believed to be going anywhere as of the latest updates. Faried is a strange fit. Tucker isn’t worth nearly that price tag, or even Patterson alone. Gibson for Patterson and a lesser first was apparently on the table at one point, so there’s probably nothing doing there, either.
Whether Ujiri sees Young as enough of an upgrade, with three more years of controllability under a reasonable contract, is an interesting question. Young is a better player overall and just a year older, but he’s nearly twice as expensive and would eat into offseason flexibility. He’s also not a shooter, and such a swap would take away some of the Raptors’ spacing and floor balance, something that’s been an issue when Patterson sits unless the Raptors go small. Still, Young’s a stronger rebounder and a different, but probably better defensive player. He also has more ability to create for himself and would be an offensive upgrade inside the arc. There would be little locker room concern, as all indications are that Young is every bit as good a person and teammate as Patterson, a big mark in favor of the latter.
Personally, I don’t think the price is worth it, if Young’s the target. It’s close, but Patterson’s a real asset, now and in the offseason, as is that pick. Delon Wright would probably need to be included, too. Young’s better than Patterson, but not enough so to significantly change the accounting of a Raptors-Cavaliers playoff series, so in this case, it’s too rich for me.
With that said, if that’s the deal – and there’s no indication it is, just the one that seems most obvious – then nobody should be too, too upset. Young’s a really good player and there’s a window right now. I wouldn’t pull the trigger, but I’d completely understand the logic behind doing so.
It’s possible there are bigger names, too. Maybe Danilo Gallinari is more available than I have generally assumed. Maybe Al Horford isn’t actually off of the block and the Hawks are playing hardball. The next 45 minutes should be interesting.
Ujiri is holding informal media availability at 3:15, by the way.
