NFL
By: Greg Rector
Toronto Raptors fans, the organization, and especially the media covering the team have been all disappointed with the 2022-2023 season. The 6’9″ positionless experiment has not worked. Add in the injuries and the shooting woes that leaves a 48-win team last year two games out of the play-in game’s mix with a record of 21-27 before they play the Sacramento Kings. Here are the answers Masai Ujuri and GM Bobby Webster have to find before the February 9th trade deadline.
Retool
Gary Trent Jr and Fred Van Vleet have upcoming contracts. Van Vleet turned down a 4-year offer in the off-season, he also just ended his relationship with his agents. There are teams who are definitely interested in him, namely the Phoenix Suns who are looking for options once Chris Paul’s career is over. Moving both Trent Jr and Van Vleet gives the Raptors some flexibility salary cap-wise going forward. Both players would get pretty decent returns as well for the Raptors. If it’s moving both players with expiring contracts, that would mean the core would be Pascal Siakim, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes. A decent trio to build around. Does it solve the short-term issue of making a push for the playoffs? I don’t believe it does and we all know Masai Ujuri is no fan of being in the middle of the pack. This option doesn’t seem to do much in the long run except reshape the players and their rotation. Would the Raptors get the shooting they desperately need with any deal for either FVV or GTJ? It still leaves them with a whole lot of the 6’9″ players who yes can cause havoc defensively, especially in halfcourt situations, but as we’ve seen all season you would also lose two guys who deflect and steal a lot of balls, and it doesn’t address rim protection nor their shockingly biggest weakness defending the three out on the perimeter.
Tank
One of the ideas with the whole positionless concept was you had the veteran core and a young player in Barnes who could complement what FVV GTJ OG and Pascal bring to the table. The ages of the core their contracts and their abilities should have this roster with a much better record. So if you move just the two guards you still have 2 times All- NBA player Pascal Siakam who will soon be 29 and a 25-year-old OG Anunoby who as most people know is considered first and foremost as one of the best defensive players in the league and is definitely an intriguing piece that many teams would love to have as he does a decent job in scoring as well. Given the age gap though between them and guys like Barnes and Aichuwa how do both fit in long-term for the Raptors? Then you have the whole middle-of-the-pack spot that the Raptors don’t want to be in. Currently, if the draft lottery were held today the Raptors are sitting with the 6th best odds to get the guy everyone is calling the next generational player some kid playing in France, Victor Wembanyama. Moving Siakim and Anunoby would garner huge returns in the draft and players coming back to Toronto.
Pascal Siakam could take a team that believes they are close to contending for a title and possibly be the piece that gets them at least a conference title. There are teams who are doing well that have the pieces to bring in Siakim and give them that opportunity. As for OG Anunoby, there are rumors floating that a “mystery” NBA team has put three first-round draft picks on the table in exchange for him. If the Raptors move all four core players it will change the landscape not just for their future but the immediate future of the teams that are dealt for. It also puts Toronto clearly in the running for Victor and means this would become Scottie Barnes’s team that would have a much younger core to compete for several seasons. Here’s one of those rumored trades involving Siakim. The Denver Nuggets would trade Jamal Murray, Bones Hyland, and their 2028 1st round pick and the teams would swap their 2029 1st round picks for Pascal Siakam. Think that would be a nightmare for western conference teams, not just two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and his passing abilities, you bring in Pascal who can do a whole lot of the same things while also bringing his defense to the table. A scary combination. The Raptors get to replace Van Vleet with Murray who as an added bonus is of course Canadian. Bones Hyland is a good piece as well.
Will They or Won’t They
Right now I am leaning toward retooling over the full-blown tanking option. That could change quickly however depending on how the current west coast road trip goes. If they blow it all up I can see that happening easily as I’ve said before Ujuri has so often stated how he despises being in that middle group of teams where the draft is much a hit-or-miss proposition. Given his trade history, Masai will swing for the fences as he did in getting Kawhi Leonard. So the Raptors may indeed change the NBA landscape by the February 9th trade deadline.
