Is Lee or Hickson the answer for Raptors at Power Forward?

We haven’t exhausted all the possibilities for the Raptors to acquire a big man.

I’ve made no secret of my hope that the Toronto Raptors will fill the near-void at power forward by making a trade prior to the NBA deadline of February 18. There are several other names being tossed about as trade candidates beyond those we’ve already considered. Let’s take a look at two in particular, David Lee and J.J. Hickson.

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Lee expressed a desire to move from the champion Golden State Warriors to a squad which would play him. He’s in Boston, but isn’t seeing any more floor time there than he did while wearing blue and gold. Whatever Lee is paying his agent isn’t enough. David is getting $15.5 million this season (significantly more than Steph Curry!) while riding the pine. He was a fine offensive player eight years ago, but never a defensive presence.

I’m not suggesting sending out that kind of money from our roster (Patrick Patterson, James Johnson, Lucas Nogueira, Delon Wright “works”) for whatever is left of David Lee. I haven’t taken leave of my senses. But if Boston buys Lee out, bringing him into the Raptors’ fold for the stretch run and playoffs seems like a reasonable idea. It only costs a trivial amount of money at that point, and no players.

Dec 8, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson (54) and Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson (3) defend against Denver Nuggets center J.J. Hickson (7) during the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Let’s turn to a more serious consideration: is J.J. Hickson worthy of being acquired? He’s regarded as being squarely on the trading block. This fellow’s career arc is definitely not what you want to see. As recently as the 2012-13 season, Hickson averaged a double-double while starting 80 games for the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s now 27, and has played a total of 13 minutes in the Denver Nuggets’ last 3 games. Hmmm….

J.J. is 6’9″ and 242 pounds, and a product of the basketball factory at North Carolina State. He was selected #19 in the 2008 NBA draft by Cleveland. After 3 seasons there, Hickson was moved to the Kings, who waived him (big red flag); ultimately he signed a free-agent deal with Denver which expires after this season. If there’s a connection between him and Masai Ujiri based on time spent with the Nuggets, I can’t find it. Masai was gone around two weeks prior to Hickson coming on board.

A straight-up swap of Patterson for Hickson works, and has no impact on either team, according to the Trade Machine. We’d be giving up 3-point shooting (in theory anyway; 2-Pat’s accuracy has been woeful) and gaining a more traditional rebounder, particularly on the offensive glass.

This deal will happen only if one of the Raptors’ major internal voices speaks up in Hickson’s favour. Rex Kalamian has been given a lot of props for unlocking Terrence Ross’ potential this year. Would he, or someone else high in the opinion of Masai, put his prestige on the line for Hickson? Conversely, would coach Dwane Casey battle hard to retain Patterson’s services?

There are other ways to make the trade happen (James Johnson & Bebe pack their bags, for example) but I have my doubts the effort would be worthwhile. Unless Masai finds that desk-pounder who loves Hickson and knows how to use him, this trade won’t happen. Nor should it.

We’re running out of time and options with which to buttress our frontcourt, Rapture Nation. Does anyone have any ideas they would like my opinion on? Drop us a Comment.

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