Since the Raptors are no longer in the play-in picture, this season is getting out of control. They could shut it all down and strive for a high lottery pick if they can't improve matters in the next weeks. There's a chance they'll be big sellers or actually be idle at the trade deadline. Recall that they decided against a complete rebuild two years ago. Here we will look at what potential 2023 NBA trade deadline move the Raptors would regret.
The Raptors are rumored to only consider trading Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby for a huge return in the current trade market. Of course, in the coming days, the team may have to seriously consider a trade if another team offers most of their picks and prospects for either Siakam or Anunoby. The latter, while not fetching as much as the former, would still have a strong market. He fits well on almost all the other 29 teams.
Keep in mind as well that Fred VanVleet made news by declining a maximum extension offer from the Raptors. Another guy who could be available is Gary Trent Jr. The rationale behind trading Trent is to secure assets and free up space to re-sign VanVleet in the off-season. Trading Trent now would also make room for raises for Siakam and Anunoby in the 2024 offseason if they are kept long-term.
With their season continuing to decline, however, we expect Toronto to strongly consider trade offers for their main guys and other rotation players. Chris Boucher could be a noteworthy trade target. Ditto with Thaddeus Young, who has a small partial guarantee for next season. Even Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn, who both have extension eligibility this summer, are players to keep an eye on.
With all these said, let's look at what potential 2023 NBA trade deadline move the Raptors would regret.
Raptors keeping everyone
Something's got to give, and someone has to go. The Raptors should execute a major step-back move and just trade their three most valuable players outside of Scottie Barnes. They can do this for draft picks or other young assets. It would certainly hinder their short and medium-term chances of winning. However, it would give them a legitimate opportunity to actually build a squad around Barnes. Dealing guys like Siakam, Anunoby, and VanVleet may enable Toronto to receive players like Deandre Ayton, Immanuel Quickley, Patrick Beverley, or Jaxson Hayes as part of the future. However, the real focus is the plethora of first-round picks they can obtain in exchange for Siakam, Anunoby, and VanVleet. This move would allow Barnes and Achiuwa to play as the new core pieces of the franchise.
SCOTTIE BARNES 🤯🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/Dtk8Z2bwQA
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 29, 2023
Hypothetically, they can maybe move Siakam, Anunoby, and VanVleet to contenders for a sizeable haul. Maybe the Raptors can deal Siakam to the Phoenix Suns for Ayton and Torrey Craig or picks. Meanwhile, Anunoby can be shipped to the New York Knicks for, say, Quickley and picks. Lastly, we can see VanVleet going to either the Los Angeles Lakers or the New Orleans Pelicans for Beverley or Hayes and more picks.
The reality is that the demand for the Raptors to dismantle their core has reached a fever pitch. This is due to their current win-loss record (23-29) and their being in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. They also have a very bad offensive effective field-goal percentage and a struggling defense.
Again, the main options here are either a full rebuild or a quick retool. We would prefer to see the Raptors pressing the reset button. That said, a tweak here or there wouldn't hurt, too. It would surely be better than just holding at the deadline.
We're actually afraid the Raptors would do exactly that — nothing. They are still close to the playoff race and have a talented roster. Additionally, they have all their own first-round picks, a promising young player in Christian Koloko, the versatile Achiuwa, and various tradeable salaries. This allows them the opportunity to sit tight and watch.
That would be terrible, though. Inactivity just should not be an option for coach Nick Nurse here. If the Raptors end up doing nothing, that would be disastrous. There is no present and future for this iteration of the Raptors. That's the bitter reality they have to accept. It's also the trigger for them to move on and rebuild. If they hold on to everyone, they'd definitely regret it.
Of course, this also means that the Raptors would have to send their top scouts to G League games and international and collegiate matches. During the off-season, they could also try to re-sign Trent. Maybe they can also peer into Ayton's trade value in the summer. Blowing everything up can open so many avenues for this team.
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