Something is clearly ailing the Raptors right now. Figuring out what the problem is (problems?) might be the first big question of the season, and shape the rest of the year to come.
The next question is how to solve the problem.
Losers of 6 of their last 7 games has caused increasing tension among fans who are dying to find out if this team is for real. Big losing streak, only one win in their 10 games against the league’s top four teams, and a crumbling record…good times, eh?
The looming trade deadline has seemingly added more tension into the mix, as more league rumors begin to fly around the internet. The Raptors are once again even being thrown into the hypothetical mix for any power forward that could possibly be available.
Jeff Van Gundy floated the idea of Carmelo Anthony fitting the Raptors well during an appearance on The Lowe Post Podcast.
Serge Ibaka’s availability has thrust the Raptors to the forefront of the conversation after their reported interest at the draft.
It feels like a rehashing of last year’s deadline where the Raptors were rumored to have apparent interest in almost every power forward in the entire NBA. Carmelo and Serge are just the beginning of the conversation/rumors to come.
But this isn’t about who the Raptors could get in a theoretical trade, this is about who the Raptors could give up in the hypothetical to come. You’ve got to give something to get something, and the Raptors have plenty that should intrigue other teams.
So who/what are the Raptors trade assets that will likely be mentioned in the weeks to come?
- Terrence Ross
Trick-or-Treat Terry will likely be mentioned in almost every trade rumor the Raptors are mentioned in. Guards with his skill-set are generally in high demand. A former slam dunk champion with an incredibly smooth three point shot, and whose athleticism should make for an effective defender? That’s a valuable asset that teams are bound to ask for in hopes that they can fix the intermittent concentration problems.
His contract doesn’t hurt either. With two years remaining at just $10.5M per year, Ross is on a bit of a bargain deal in the new NBA economy.
If it weren’t for his contract helping in larger deals, Norman Powell could be listed alongside of Ross here. I’m not going to go further into this though, because the idea of Powell being traded is making me sad even in this hypothetical list.
- Jared Sullinger
He signed in Toronto last summer with a goal of raising his value for the summer of 2017, only to miss the majority of the season. Now, he is an expiring contract and one of the larger contracts that Masai has at his disposal when it comes to matching contracts in a deal.
I’m still intrigued by what Sullinger can bring to the table, but the Raptors also have to weigh the fact that they simply don’t have the contractual means to bring him back next season. In all likelihood, Sully will be a Raptor for another four months at the most.
- Jakob Poeltl/Lucas Nogueira
While the Raptors have need in the front court, they also have some depth at their disposal. Nogueira has filled in admirably as the team’s back-up centre, and in many ways has surpassed what was provided by the now departed Bismack Biyombo.
Jakob meanwhile has shown little glimpses of the overall potential that caused the Raptors to draft him with the ninth overall pick last summer. He has good hands on offence, rotates well on defence, shows growing vision in his passing, and looks the part of a skilled rookie who needs to both learn the league and fill out physically.
I don’t imagine either will be traded, but it’s certainly possible that either could be made available for the right deal as the Raptors look to trade out of their depth.
- Cory Joseph
Joseph has been a key contributor and one of the team’s best bench players since he returned home from San Antonio in the summer of 2015. He can play alongside either Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, can play on-ball or off-ball, and was an elite defender at the point of attack last season.
This season has seen an improvement offensively, but a big regression on defence. Meanwhile, the Raptors have Delon Wright waiting in the wings for his opportunity. We don’t yet have enough data to make any sort of statistical argument for Wright over Joseph, but the tools are there for Delon to receiving minutes for a winning team.
In the glimpses we’ve seen Delon he is clearly an NBA player, and the time is coming where he needs a legitimate shot at minutes.
- Draft Picks
Toronto doesn’t have the stockpile of draft picks of a team like Boston, but they do have all their own first round picks moving forward and the Clippers 2017 first round pick (top 14 protected). There aren’t enough picks available to make a trade interesting on their own, but there are lots of choices here with which Masai could grease the wheels of a trade he likes.
