In all fairness, that’s not exactly what the Raptors are doing here. At the same time, a comeback would serve them well. There’s a (remote) world where the Raptors get the best player in this deal and draft capital. That could be one of the great trades in their organizational history.

Let’s assume it doesn’t happen. For argument’s sake, let’s assume Simmons’ career doesn’t get back on track. This is still a good deal.

After all, the Raptors are picking up two first-round picks here. We’re also assuming that, if they made this deal, theyre rebuilding. If the Raptors trade Pascal Siakam in addition to making this deal, they could bring in a haul of draft capital this summer. Should the Nets contribute to that haul?

Meanwhile, the Nets are in an interesting place. This team is built to be competitive, but they probably aren’t built to contend. The Nets have a deep roster. They’ve also got a number of strong defensive players. On the other hand, theyre missing an elite offensive player to carry them.

Does this deal bring one in? No. Instead, this deal has the Nets leaning on their strengths. They’d be bolstering their depth by flipping Simmons for three quality rotation players.

In fact, Trent Jr. would arguably be the best guard on this roster. Meanwhile, Boucher brings an element of spacing at the 5 spot that the Nets don’t currently have. Unless, of course, his career changes in an instant. That can happen