The Toronto Raptors' wacky roster construction appears to be catching up to them. With a lack of a true center and an obvious lack of backcourt depth, the Raptors have struggled this season despite having All-Star caliber talents in Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby. Through 41 games, the Raptors have won just 18 games as they plummet down to 11th in the Eastern Conference standings.
Their underperformance has aptly fueled trade talks to their core players in Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and Gary Trent Jr,, with young Scottie Barnes the only one deemed untouchable. All four would bring considerable returns in a potential trade – especially Anunoby, whom analysts predict would net a “Donovan Mitchell-like” haul. Such is the case since Anunoby projects to be an elite complementary piece to an already established contending team, what with his ability to impact the game on the defensive end as well as his ability to space the floor with a reliable outside shot.
Meanwhile, VanVleet, an impending free agent should he decline his player option for next season, could also be an enticing trade option for teams in need of a confident shot creator, particularly from downtown. The 2022 All-Star, however, has seen his shooting efficiency take a turn for the worse this season, and his $21.3 million salary for this year makes a potential trade a more complicated scenario to navigate.
Nevertheless, the Raptors' status approaching the trade deadline isn't clear-cut just yet. They are only a half-game back out of the 10th and final play-in spot and 4.5 games back out of the sixth and final outright playoff spot – not too insurmountable a deficit to overcome with the season just at the halfway mark.
They could very well pursue more marginal trades to upgrade their most glaring weakness if they decide not to sell their best assets just yet. And this glaring weakness of theirs sticks out like a sore thumb.
Toronto Raptors' biggest need: outside shooting
One of the chief reasons behind the Raptors' struggles this season is their inability to shoot well from downtown – a cardinal sin in today's three-point driven league. Almost all of the Raptors' rotation players (with Malachi Flynn and OG Anunoby being the only exception) have suffered drop-offs in terms of three-point marksmanship. Fred VanVleet has been the biggest culprit for this decline, and the Raptors have struggled as a result.
The Raptors rank 25th in the entire NBA in threes made per game – not a good number for a team with playoff hopes. And to make matters worse, they rank 29th in the league in three-point percentage, cementing their weakness with a dangerous combination of volume and accuracy. Thus, if Toronto was to turn its season around, they will need to shoot better – or acquire better marksmen via trade.
With that said, they shouldn't trade away Gary Trent Jr. if having a second-half of the season resurgence is their goal. Head coach Nick Nurse has been hard on Trent given his decline in deflections per game, but GTJ remains one of their deadliest outside threats. Still, with plenty of teams hot on Trent's tail, the Raptors may deem it best for them to cash in on a coveted asset.
It's also reasonable for the Raptors to expect their shooting numbers to regress to the mean. VanVleet, a career 37.5 percent shooter from three, is shooting a suboptimal 32.8 percent from deep this season. Some improvement should also be expected in that regard.
Thus, another direction the Raptors could take is adding a legitimate center to move Pascal Siakam to his more natural position at the four. Their perimeter defense has had its moments of suffocation, which isn't surprising, given that they boast Anunoby's services. However, the Raptors allow the fourth-worst shooting percentage to their opponents, which nullifies their oftentimes frantic ability to create extra possessions by forcing turnovers.
Jakob Poeltl could be a worthy addition for the Raptors, although the San Antonio Spurs' asking price for him remains high. Poeltl is familiar with the Raptors system as well, having begun his career in Toronto. However, it's difficult to envision Poeltl moving the needle enough for the Raptors to make relinquishing a first-round pick in a potential trade worth it.
At the end of the day, the Raptors will have to address their three-point shooting, one way or another. Nick Nurse said that their struggles from downtown have even contributed to their occasional defensive woes. And with less than a month to go before the trade deadline, they will have to turn things around soon.
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