If it wasn’t made obvious by my username, I am a Toronto Raptors fan! I love this team and I love our players. It pains me to think that Toronto is in a position where they might end up trading some of our most beloved players and begin to reset the roster. However, there comes a time in every franchises history where they are faced with a potential rebuild/reset and decide to trade away those beloved players. This might be that time for Toronto. Things have not gone their way this year to say the least. Nick Nurse refusing to play anyone off our bench for more than 15 minutes (and it is usually less then that), severe weaknesses such as 3-point shooting, and weird fits make it hard for this roster to work. It may be time for Toronto to move on from some of their players and begin to reset the roster around Scottie Barnes and maybe OG + Precious. Using that idea, I have made this. A full trade deadline plan for the Toronto Raptors, which contains four trades in total. Each trade consists of Toronto moving on from at least one player that has been an important part of this franchise both in the present and in the past. It will be painful for us Toronto Raptors fans to see these trades now, and to see similar ones potentially made in real life. With the trades I have created though, I think it will turn out to be worth it. So how about we get right into my Toronto Raptors trade deadline plan!
Trade 1: Fred VanVleet
This trade is the simplest one I have created. It was based off trade rumours that the Los Angeles Clippers are targeting Fred VanVleet, and I used parts of other trade ideas I have seen on this website and other websites to create this final product. In this trade, Toronto sadly is moving on from Fred VanVleet. Freddy has cemented himself as an all time great Raptor. His story of going from undrafted nobody to a hugely important piece on the Raptors and one of the best undrafted players in the NBA is inspiring. This may be the toughest move to make of them all because of how special Freddy is to Toronto. The return package is quite interacting though, and it can get Toronto more excited about the future of this team. The main piece Toronto is receiving in this trade is Terrence Mann, a younger player who took the world by storm in the playoffs a couple years ago. He is an intriguing younger player that Toronto could help develop into a consistently good NBA player. I like his fit on our team as either a starter or a backup. The other main piece Toronto is receiving in this deal is Luke Kennard, and he is exactly the type of player Toronto needs right now. The biggest issue with the current roster is 3-point shooting. Toronto has been one of the worst teams in the NBA when it comes to shooting 3-pointers. Adding a sniper like Luke Kennard will help Toronto tremendously. BJ Boston is another intriguing younger player. I do believe he still has solid NBA potential, and being in a good development system like Toronto could help him fulfil that. Toronto also acquired a first round pick in 2028, which could be quite valuable. The future that far out for the Clippers is entirely unknown, so there is a chance that the pick turns out to be super valuable and be a top 10 pick in the draft. There also is a chance that the Clippers are still really good at basketball and it’s not a good pick, but Toronto will still take to because of how far out into the future it is. So overall, I think that is a nice return for Freddy. We get a player that we need, two interesting younger players that we could want, and a first round pick. I’d say that is pretty fair value for Freddy.
Trade 2: Pascal Siakam
https://fanspo.com/u/TheRaptor/trades/5ZQErQtu6atHth/blockbuster-four-team-trade
This was by far the most complicated trade I created for this trade deadline plan, but it has Toronto receiving more value than any other trade in this plan. This time we are moving on from Pascal Siakam. Now I don’t think that Pascal will be traded at this years deadline, but for the package Toronto is receiving I think they would have to consider it. Siakam is our best player and we are going to be a lot worse without him, but that is kind of the point. Toronto would be going all in on getting a top 5-10 pick in this years draft in order to have a chance at a top prospect. You pair that with this package Toronto receives, and I think that is a pretty convincing argument for the Raptors to trade Siakam. The main piece they are receiving in this trade is Can Johnson, and oh boy would he be a perfect fit in Toronto. As mentioned previously, Torontos biggest issue on the current roster is 3-point shooting. While we did add Luke Kennard in that first trade with the Clippers, Toronto could still definitely need more 3-point shooting. Cam Johnson is an awesome 3-point shooter, and he would fit pretty well with Torontos timeline. Slotting him in at the PF position in place of Siakam would be a better fit with OG, Precious, and Scottie than Siakam currently is. His 3-point shooting abilities would be a wonderful addition to this team. Cam isn’t the only great 3-point shooter Toronto acquires in this deal however. They also acquire Graysen Allen, who is a pretty good 3-point shooter like Cam. Both of these guys help with our 3-point shooting issues tremendously. Dario Saric is just in there for salary filler, and I don’t know what Toronto could use him for right now honestly. The big thing in this trade for Toronto other than the players is the picks. Toronto receives three unprotected first round picks, one second round pick in 2023, and a pick swap in the future that will be in their favour. This gives Toronto a lot more picks over the next several years, which means more chances at drafting players who can help this team win another championship one day. Losing Pascal Siakam sucks, and even losing Thaddeus Young sucks. I think it is worth it for this package though. Getting Cam Johnson, Graysen Allen, all those picks, and clearing up that much cap space is a worthy package for Siakam in my opinion, even if it isn’t the most realistic.
Trade 3: Gary Trent Jr
Gary Trent Jr is probably the player that is most likely to be traded by Toronto at the deadline. He is a good player, but his contract is expiring and Toronto doesn’t have the money to both resign him and make they necessary improvements to this team. Trading him is probably the best option for Toronto at this point. I think his value right now is probably a first round pick + a decent player, and that is what they get in this package from Orlando. Gary Harris is a solid guard who would essentially be Gary Trent Jrs temporary replacement. His money is not guaranteed past this season, so Toronto isn’t adding any longterm salary with this trade. Caleb Houston isn’t the most exciting young player in the world, but he would be a PERFECT fit on this roster if he ends up fulfilling his potential. I’d be interested to see what Toronto would be able to do with him. Lastly, we get a first round pick in 2025 to add to our growing stash of picks. It is from Denver, so it probably won’t be all that good. I’d still take it for Trent though, as it probably will be harder to find a better offer than this for someone who is on an expiring contract. It’s an intriguing trade for Toronto that I like quite a bit, even if it means we become a worse team.
Trade 4: Chris Boucher and Otto Porter
This is the smaller of the four trades in terms of what players we send out, but it still brings in solid value for Toronto. I love Chris Boucher, but he isn’t the best piece for Toronto to have longterm as he doesn’t really fit the timeline or give Toronto anything they don’t already have. Plus Nick Nurse refuses to give him minutes, so he really doesn’t have a place on the roster anymore. Otto Porter Jr is a good player to have if you’re a contender, but he doesn’t really help us as a team resetting the roster. Sending both out to the Heat and acquiring a first round pick in 2023 is good value for them in my opinion. We do have to take on Duncan Robinsons contract, but I’m ok with that. We still could use as much 3-point shooting around our new core of Barnes, Achiuwa, and OG as possible, so getting another great one doesn’t hurt at all, even if the contract does not look great. Getting another pick in 2023 is worth it I believe. Maybe Toronto asks for a second round pick as well in this trade? Either way, I like this for Toronto
The New Core
After all of these trades, Toronto now has a new core of many interesting players, but for in particular that I want to talk about. Those four players are Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Cam Johnson. I really like those four as our main core for the future. Scottie Barnes had a rough start to the season in terms of his scoring numbers compared to last year, but he has really picked up the pace recently and is looking even better than he did last year. He is scoring more, playing great defense, and showing that he could genuinely be our point guard/point forward for the future. He is the main guy we can build this roster around. Precious Achiuwa is another really interesting piece. With the recent injury of OG Anunoby, Precious has gotten the chance to shine as a starter. He has player really well over the last few games, showing off his defensive versatility and offensive potential. I think he should be a key component of this teams future, as he is a living embodiment of the type of player Toronto seems to want. Him and Scottie are both quite young and have so much potential to grow together, and I love them as a duo heading into the future. OG Anunoby and Cam Johnson are a little older than the prior two I was talking about, but they are still definitely a key part of this new core I have built. OG has cemented himself as one of the best perimeter defensive players in the NBA, playing the best defense of his life this year. His continuous offensive growth is exciting as well. So while he doesn’t necessarily fit the exact same timeline as Scottie and Precious, he can be a super important part of this teams future. It is a similar situation with Cam Johnson, just instead of cementing himself as an elite defender he has cemented himself as an elite 3-point shooter. He provide necessary high level spacing next to Scottie, Precious, and OG, and he can help this team win a championship again one day. He does need to be resigned in the off-season, but Toronto should have the money to do just that with the money they have freed up in some of these trades I have created.
Other notable core piece: Terrence Mann, Christian Koloko, Caleb Houstan, BJ Boston
The Post-Deadline Roster
PG: Scottie Barnes (Starter), Dalano Banton, Malachi Flynn
SG: Terrance Mann (Starter), Gary Harris, Graysen Allen, BJ Boston
SF: OG Anunoby (Starter), Luke Kennard, Duncan Robinson
PF: Cam Johnson (Starter), Dario Saric
C: Precious Achiuwa (Starter) Christian Koloko, Khem Birch
(Waived Juancho Hernangomez)
Rotation
PG: Scottie Barnes
SG: Terrance Mann
SF: OG Anunoby
PF: Cam Johnson
C: Precious Achiuwa
6th Man: Luke Kennard
Backup Guard: Gary Harris
Backup Guard: Graysen Allen
Backup Wing: Duncan Robinson
Backup Forward: Dario Saric
Backup Center: Christian Koloko
2023 NBA Draft Targets
After all of these moves, I believe it is likely that Toronto ends up with a top 10 pick in the draft. I will be making this draft targets list based off that projection. Now with the new roster Toronto has built after these trades I made, there are two things that stand out to me. One, they don’t have an actually backup wing. Duncan Robinson and Luke Kennard will play that role, but they now don’t have a legitimate backup wing on the roster anymore. They also are lacking in big man depth (PF/C). So with all of that in mind, here are my top draft targets for this newly built Toronto Raptors team. (Note that these are not rankings, just prospects in general that Toronto should target).
Target 1: Jett Howard
• Provides more wing depth
• Is yet ANOTHER great 3-point shooter added to the roster
• Has star potential in the NBA due to his shot creation ability and elite off ball movement
• Would fit perfectly as a 6th man or even a starter as the SG
Target 2: Brandon Miller
• Provide more wing depth
• Is, once again, yet ANOTHER great 3-point shooter added to the roster
• Would be good in pretty much any role Toronto gives him, whether that be as the backup wing, 6th man, or a starter
Target 3: Brice Sensabaugh
• Provides more wing depth
• Elite scorer from all 3 levels
• Has a lot of NBA upside
• Could be the 6th man or starter, either way he’d be great
Target 4: Jarace Walker
• Elite defensive player
• Great as a dunker spot scorer and lob threat
• Has more scoring upside than you would think
• Would be a perfect backup forward for this team, and possibly a starter one day
Target 5: Kyle Filipowski
• Provides more big man depth
• Provides needed rebounding help
• Has potential to be an impactful player offensively
Target 6: Leonard Miller
• Provides more forward depth
• Has a lot of NBA upside due to his elite mobility and flashes of offensive brilliance
• Could be good off the bench or as a starter one day
Target 7: Jordan Walsh
• Elite defensive player
• Has some offensive upside still
• Would be a great backup wing/forward for this team
• Could be a high impact guy in the NBA
2023 Free Agency
This will be a list of top priorities for the Toronto Raptors in free agency. I will not go too in depth on this topic, but there are a few things I think Toronto should look to do in the off-season with the new and improved roster.
Top Priority: Resign Cameron Johnson
• He is an important piece to this new team, so just give him the contract he wants and move on with our day
Free Agency Target 1: A more traditional Center
• This new team could use some more size and rebounding, so Toronto should look for that in free agency. There are a couple guys they could go after and sign to smaller contracts who would fill this need nicely for Toronto
Free Agency Target 2: A Backup Point Guard
• This new team could also use a better backup point guard, so Toronto could look to sign someone who fills that role in free agency
Other Off-Season Stuff
This will be just a short list of things Toronto should look to do in the off-season outside of the draft and free agency. I won’t go to in depth as this post is already quite long, but here are a couple things this new look team should look to do in the off-season
Top Priority: Extend Precious Achiuwa
• Precious is heading into the final year of his contract, so Toronto should be looking to extend him ASAP so he is locked up for the next 4-5 years
Off-Season Trade Target 1: Traditional Center
• If free agency doesn’t prove to be useful for finding a more traditional center, Toronto could explore the trade market and see who is available that could fill that role
Off-Season Trade Target 2: Backup Point Guard
• If free agency doesn’t prove to be useful for finding a backup point guard, Toronto could explore the trade market and see who is available that could fill that role
Final Thoughts
This probably isn’t the most realistic trade deadline/off-season plan for the Toronto Raptors. I don’t recover Pascal Siakam to be traded and there is also the question of would the other teams in those trades accept the offers. However, I did this to show what could be possible for the Raptors if they decide to reset. This is an idea of what they could do with this roster, and how they could rebuild it into something great. If you don’t think a team would do one of these trades, that’s ok! I do believe I have somewhat decent reasoning for why these other teams accept the trades in the descriptions, but it’s hard to judge how teams value some of these players. We really do not know what’s going to happen for Toronto at the deadline. One thing is for certain though. I had a heck of a lot of fun making this post! This is definitely the longest Fanspo post I have ever made BY FAR! I tried to go as in depth as possible without exceeding the character limit, which I hopefully have done so successfully. For those of you who have read through this whole thing, thank you so much for taking the time to read my work! I appreciate it so much and am very grateful for all of you who support me!
My only request is you leave an upvote if you enjoyed reading through this whole thing. This has taken a long time to make and I put a lot of effort into it. But it’s fine if you don’t! I’m totally ok with only a few people seeing this.
Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU READ THIS WHOLE THING! I REALLY REALLY APPRECIATE IT!
I hope you have a wonderful WONDERFUL rest of your day!
Signing off for now,
TheRaptor