The Toronto Raptors have been on quite the journey since trading franchise player DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard in 2018. Since that trade, the Raptors won their first NBA title, Leonard left, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam developed into All-Stars, and they drafted Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.
The Raptors have yet to reach the Eastern Conference Finals again, though, including missing the playoffs altogether in 2021. In 2021-22, the franchise bounced back with a solid 48-34 record and the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Although they failed to advance past the first round, Toronto showed some promise, especially with its young core led by Barnes.
The Raptors are rumored to be a part of this offseason's Kevin Durant sweepstakes, but they don't want to give up Barnes in a deal. If they ultimately don't wind up with KD, there is still another move to make to help them make some noise in the postseason.
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Key Move Raptors Still Must Make In 2022 NBA Offseason
Add a bigger center via free agency
The Raptors have a very unique roster filled with wings and big forwards. They have one player taller than 6-foot-9, and that is rookie center Christian Koloko. Pascal Siakam, Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher, Khem Birch, and Thaddeus Young are all center options, but they could use more legit size and perhaps even some 3-point shooting from the position as well.
Toronto finished in the bottom 10 in 3-point shooting last season with a 34.9% conversion rate, and only Achiuwa was able to hit above average out of the big men who played significant minutes last season. The Raptors' latest addition, Juancho Hernangomez, is another forward who shoots around that number for his career, but he doesn't help with the legitimate size issue.
The Raptors could look to make another move in their frontcourt this offseason, and one available big man who could help is DeMarcus Cousins. While Cousins didn't shoot the ball well from 3-point range last season, he has had his moments as a long-range bomber in the past and would also bring a massive body to the fold. The veteran can still rebound at a high level and be a force in the paint.
Although he is far from the All-Star Boogie he once was, Cousins can still be a solid rotational piece and should be available for only the veteran's minimum. We just saw Cousins make an impact at times for the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs against the Golden State Warriors, so he would be a nice depth piece to have around for Toronto.
Another player who is available for that value is LaMarcus Aldridge. The former All-Star has developed his 3-point shooting throughout his career, hitting more than 34.9% four times, and he's able to hit the midrange shot better than most of the Raptors' big men. He also blocks 1.1 shots a night for his career and could bring some veteran leadership to the young frontcourt department.
Both players are far from their best years in the NBA, but by demanding such a small value, the Raptors would help their roster depth with just one veteran signing to help finish off this NBA offseason. Toronto is looking to become a contender once again in the Eastern Conference, and having a veteran like Cousins or Aldridge around would be nice in this quest.
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