Raptors & DeRozan: will playoff failures lead to being “fired” via trade?

The Raptors don’t have the luxury of regarding anyone as untouchable after another playoff letdown. What can we get for DeMar DeRozan?

The shocking departure of the Toronto Raptors from the NBA playoffs has produced massive grumbling across the team’s fan base. The discontent is entirely warranted, but it can be dangerous because poor decisions often result when management is attempting to appease.

That caution aside, anger and dismay at unsatisfactory results can open some topics for discussion which previously were sacrosanct. The firing of Coach of the Year Dwane Casey is evidence of the “no sacred cows” perspective currently in vogue with team President Masai Ujiri, General Manager Bobby Webster, and the rest of the brains trust.

In that spirit, let’s consider whether the time has come to move Raptors institution DeMar DeRozan out of town.

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The forces of retention are stronger than those of dismissal. I say that because trading DeRozan is almost certain to lead to other problems. First off, can the Raptors get value in return for trading their iconic shooting guard? Probably not, as you’ll soon see. Secondly, DeMar’s departure is likely to produce major grumbling among incumbent players, in particular his great friend Kyle Lowry. I doubt our All-Star point guard would be shy about requesting a trade. Thirdly, how would the fan base react if the Raptors as much as admitted they were starting a rebuild by moving DeRozan for cap relief?

What team would take DeMar, and what would constitute an acceptable return for him? If we take the position of moving him for salary cap relief, then the return is likely to be poor, but we’re far more likely to make a deal. If we want to receive quality player(s), I don’t like our chances.

Here’s a deal we might like

Should Masai decide he can’t live with DeRozan continuing as a regular-season hero but playoff zero, then he’s likely to take almost any deal. The Indiana Pacers gave Cleveland fits in their first-round playoff matchup before bowing out. They are in excellent shape financially; on a wins per salary dollars spent basis, I couldn’t find an NBA team which enjoyed a stronger season.

The Pacers could absorb DeRozan and pair him with Victor Oladipo to form a deadly backcourt.

Bogdanovic’s $ 10.5 Million owing is non-guaranteed. The cap hold for the pick is just under $2.4 M, so the Raptors just freed up about $14 M for next season.  They are also out from under DeRozan’s nearly $ 56 M for the following two seasons. Some of that money can be used to bring back Fred VanVleet.

I don’t know whether the pick is all that valuable, however, Masai has proven he can find quality rotation players late in the draft. The presence of Delon Wright and Pascal Siakam (and VanVleet, who wasn’t drafted at all) is proof of that.

At present, the roster is too top-heavy for the results we’re getting. More bluntly expressed, our most expensive players came up far short in the post-season. In my next iteration of our “Moving DeMar” series, I’ll consider dollar for dollar deals.