Step 1 in Raptors teardown: trade DeMar DeRozan

If the Raptors can’t win a title with their current group, drastic action needs to be taken with the team’s roster. Here’s a trade which definitely qualifies.

I have been re-thinking some of my hard-core beliefs about the future of the Toronto Raptors in light of the result of the NBA Championship finals. As a fan since Day 1 of our franchise, I’ve been hoping we are building towards the ultimate prize. However, watching Golden State annihilate Cleveland presented a shock to the system. Perhaps gradual improvement won’t work – getting 10% better next season would be a huge accomplishment, but still wouldn’t put the Raptors within striking distance of either the Cavaliers or Warriors. If tinkering with the core won’t work, perhaps tearing it down will.

Should President Masai Ujiri want to undertake such a monumental task, his first, and arguably most important, step, would be a trade of shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.

Is moving DeRozan even possible?

Like so many things in life, having an idea is one thing, putting it into action is quite another. To wit: who is a candidate team for a big-ticket throwback player unable to make 3-balls?

The team with the league’s most attractive future assets is the Boston Celtics. They just bolstered that status with the trade of their #1 pick in this Thursday’s NBA draft, picking up the #3 pick and a future high first-rounder from Philadelphia. Can I construct a deal which makes sense for both the Raptors and Celtics?

For the Raptors, I won’t make a Trade Proposal without including one or more of the Celtics’ juicy first-rounders they have piled up from their one-sided trades. In turn, the Celtics have to believe they have immediately improved, and not severely damaged their future flexibility in doing so.

I think DeRozan would be of considerable interest to Boston GM Danny Ainge and wunderkind coach Brad Stevens. They must also be wondering how they can battle toe to toe with Cleveland. Here’s a deal they might like.

Making sense of it all

The Celtics’ starting SG is Avery Bradley, who’s a terrific player, though not an All-Star like DeRozan.

Sometimes you can overthink things. DeRozan averaged 27.3 Points Per Game last season, while Bradley’s mark was 16.3. Those additional 11 extra points would look mighty attractive to a 53-win team trying to take the next, toughest, rung on the ladder. Not convinced? Look at DeRozan’s PER of 24, versus Bradley’s 14.4.

The Raptors don’t need Amir as a player, though offering him a veteran’s minimum contract would be OK with me. He’s in the deal as immediate salary cap relief, which is only true if the deal is consummated in a hurry.

Olynyk is an interesting player, a “stretch-5” who may not have reached his ceiling.

The first-rounder I’m talking about is likely the one just conveyed to Boston, which hopefully is the Lakers’ pick next season. The deal wording would need to be precise.

As you can tell, I’m not spending a lot of time and words on the players involved. I do think this deal is a win/win.

We’re Raptors fans, so let’s concentrate on our positives. The team gets a useful player in Bradley, salary relief in the form of Amir’s expiring contract, and a likely single-digit lottery selection.

The Trade Machine thinks both teams lose on the deal; the Raptors are worse by 5 wins, and the Celtics by 1. I think ESPN needs to re-examine its algorithms…

What do you say, Rapture Nation? Am I on the right track, or do you hate the idea of a teardown in principle? Comments please.

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