The Toronto Raptors have been up and down this year, currently sitting at 24-16 ahead of Monday night's home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Raptors' trade for Brandon Ingram last year has largely paid dividends, and the team currently is in the driver's seat to secure one of the top six spots in the Eastern Conference.
With the trade deadline looming, many expect the Raptors to be buyers in an attempt to get better in the short term, and recently, ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel reported on how one key guard's emergence could make another guard on the Raptors' roster a potential trade candidate.
“Jamal Shead has emerged as a key guard in head coach Darko Rajakovic's rotations, and Quickley's cap figure would be the key to this franchise making a key upgrade at the trade deadline,” noted Siegel. “Early indications surrounding the Raptors also suggest they would be open to moving their first-round pick in this year's draft for an established win-now talent as well.”
The Raptors were widely ridiculed for the mammoth contract they gave Quickley in the aftermath of their trade to acquire him from the New York Knicks, and although he has played some solid basketball this year, it remains to be seen what teams might be interested in taking on his salary for a trade.
As Siegel pointed out, the Raptors are also not going to be shy about potentially parting ways with draft compensation in an attempt to bring in some reinforcements, so that could be what lures a team to take on Quickley's contract.
At the current juncture, the Raptors' big man depth seems to be the area of most need on the roster moving forward.
In any case, the Raptors and 76ers are slated to tip off on Monday at 7:30 pm ET.
