Raptors Blogtable: Terrence Ross – Trade or Keep?

Jan 10, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Terrence Ross (31) looks to pass the ball as Boston Celtics guard Marcus Thornton (4) defends during the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Trade

Kevin Nimmock

In just his third season, Ross still presents a lot of value to those who haven’t been paying close attention. Sure, for Raptors fans and front office executives alike, Ross has been a major disappointment so far this season. His numbers have actually slightly regressed from his sophomore campaign. Fortunately for GM Masai Ujiri, he still has all of the physical tools that led the Raps to draft him eighth in 2012.

It isn’t too late to move Ross for profit, but there also isn’t much time. The Raptors have a tendency to sit on draft busts, attempting to help them find their true potential (Bargnani). Instead of letting Ross figure out his game in Toronto, the Raps should move him before the trade deadline to pick up a solid contributor who will help them make it past the first round of the playoffs.

This would be a different situation if the Raptors didn’t have glaring issues. If everything was going completely smoothly, it would make sense to keep Ross, hope he develops into the player everyone thought he was going to be, and continue to push towards the playoffs while he figures it out. Instead, the team needs help as soon as possible in a few key areas, none of which are more important than rebounding and interior defence.

The Raptors need a solid veteran big man who can help Jonas Valanciunas down low. Ross would be the perfect currency for an exchange. Now that it is clear that the Raptors will be a high playoff seed, the team needs to get playoff ready. Ross isn’t going to be able to help the Raps win in the playoffs, at least based on what he has shown so far this year.