There has been a lot of news surrounding the Toronto Raptors as the calendar has flipped over to June, a lot of it involving Toronto’s appetite to acquire a “big fish”, and more specifically, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
First, on the June 1 episode of “The Hoop Collective Show” featuring Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps, and Tim MacMahon, it was stated that the Toronto Raptors were potentially looking to make a big move this summer.
“The Raptors are a team that is starting to make noise in the league about looking for a big fish,” said Brian Windhorst.
“There are some teams that sniff the ability to make a move, and I think Toronto is one of those teams. And so naturally, any team that wants to make a move this summer, especially a team in the Eastern Conference, you’re going to have Giannis on the board. But Toronto, from their initial conversations, teams in the league are getting the impression that Toronto is going to try and do something. I had an executive tell me yesterday that he thinks this could be an explosive summer.”
With that in mind, per the Toronto Star’s Doug Smith, the Raptors and the two-time Most Valuable Player have some level of interest in one another.
“I don’t know if it will happen, but I do know there is mutual interest between Antetokounmpo and the Raptors. The wild card is the cost.”
This new information coincides with earlier reports, including the one that started all of this, with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting that the two-time MVP is “exploring the best fits outside of Milwaukee” after three straight first-round exits.
Also, according to Brandon Robinson, Antetokounmpo would like to remain in the Eastern Conference.
“Two teams that have emerged as destinations of interest for the two-time MVP are the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets.” The New York Times has also named Toronto a “potential destination.”
With all that said, there is certainly a lot linking the “Greek Freak” and Canada’s team, as not only is the superstar exploring other options, but coming north of the border has been tabbed as one of those destinations. Raptors president Masai Ujiri and Antetokounmpo also have a longstanding relationship with each other, with the front office also having shown affinity for Giannis for some time now. The team tried to trade up for him during the 2013 NBA draft while also poking around during his free agency a half-decade ago.
Of course, it’s still unknown if the 30-year-old will ask for a trade away from the Milwaukee Bucks, but if he does, Toronto has a collection of assets (including owning all of their draft picks moving forward) and tradable salaries to put together a competitive offer. As for what a realistic potential Antetokounmpo trade could look like, the Star’s Doug Smith also provided more context on that front.
“I think the Raptors are uniquely placed to make an attractive offer that won’t ruin their franchise or roster. I would make the case that a logjam at the wings makes them deep enough that if they had to pay even two out of Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Ja’Kobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Jonathan Mogbo would still leave enough to fill out a pretty good team with promising young players still developing. Plus, they have all their picks, so giving a first-rounder every year for, say, four years, leaves enough. Again, the odds of doing a Giannis deal are long, but the remnants of paying a steep price isn’t too bad.”
To make the math work, two of Toronto’s sizeable contracts, which include Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl, would more than likely have to be included. Add in any combination of the younger assets the Raptors have at their disposal like Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter, Ochai Agbaji, Jamal Shead, and Jonathan Mogbo, plus the ability to trade up to five first round picks, including ninth overall in the draft later this month, it can add up quickly.
There’s a lot of noise surrounding the Raptors and Antetokounmpo, and it would obviously take a lot to snag a perennial MVP candidate, but if the superstar wants to come, Toronto has enough to make a deal while also retaining enough talent to be a contender after acquiring the superstar.
