Toronto Raptors: Time to bring Andrew Wiggins back to Canada

It’s time to bring back Canada’s basketball talent. Trading Kyle Lowry for Andrew Wiggins would bring a new era of basketball to the Toronto Raptors.

Rumors are circulating about how the Toronto Raptors plan to approach this off-season. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN confirmed last week that no one on the Raptors is untouchable. This isn’t surprising given that the last two seasons have ended with a sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

One of the names most often associated with the Raptors is Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins is from just outside of Toronto and was once seen as the future of Canadian basketball.

The Timberwolves signed Wiggins to a five-year contract extension, worth $148 million last off-season. The team is reportedly regretting that decision and considering trading the 23-year-old swingman. However, since his extension hasn’t kicked in yet, Wiggins cannot be traded until after July 6^th.

The trade most often proposed is a swap of Wiggins for DeMar DeRozan. This is an intriguing trade for the Raptors, but makes no sense for the Timberwolves.

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The T-Wolves already have Jimmy Butler, who is a better version of DeRozan. Both are 20 point per game scores. Neither is a great three-point shooter. However, Butler is a superior defender.

Acquiring DeRozan would give the T-Wolves another All-Star, but he would not be able to space the floor for Butler or Karl-Anthony Towns. It is hard to envision the T-Wolves accepting this deal, even if they do want to move Wiggins.

Trading Lowry for Wiggins

An alternative scenario could see the Raptors trade Kyle Lowry to the T-Wolves in exchange for Wiggins. A straight-up swap works, as the T-Wolves can take back 125 percent of Wiggins’ salary.

Adding Lowry could benefit the T-Wolves in a number of ways. Lowry is an All-Star and would be an upgrade over Jeff Teague. Also, Butler can become a free agent next summer and the team needs to convince him to sign an extension. Butler has expressed a desire to play with Lowry in the past. He attempted to recruit Lowry to both the Bulls and T-Wolves when Lowry was a free agent last summer.

In order to avoid a logjam at point guard, the T-Wolves would likely need to find a third team for Teague. A veteran team, such as the San Antonio Spurs or Los Angeles Clippers might be interested in a player like Teague. Trading Teague to the Clippers for Tobias Harris would work financially and it would provide the T-Wolves with a replacement at small forward.

Nick Nurse is reportedly one of the front-runners for the Raptors’ head coaching position. Nurse was responsible for reinventing the team’s offense last season, which was predicated on ball movement.

Lowry became less important in the new offense. The ball was taken out of his hands, something that he expressed frustration with early in the season. The new system also allowed other players the opportunity to create for their teammates. DeRozan became more of a facilitator and averaged a career high 5.2 assists per game.

Lowry is 32 years old. He has two years and over $64 million remaining on his contract. It has become clear that a team led by Lowry and DeRozan cannot compete for a championship.

Wiggins’ fit with the Raptors

Trading for a player like Wiggins is exactly the type of move that could re-energize the franchise. He would immediately become a fan favorite. Wiggins is also just scratching the surface of his potential.

Wiggins has elite measurements for a wing player. As per DraftExpress, he measured 6’8″ (in shoes) with a 7’0″ wingspan. Wiggins was viewed as having the potential to be a lock-down defender entering the NBA. So far, he has not lived up to the expectations, but the tools are there if he is prepared to put the work in.

Wiggins took a step back this past season. His points per game decreased from 23.6 to 17.7. His shooting percentages also went down across the board. This can be primarily attributed to the addition of Butler.

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Wiggins saw his shot attempts reduce. He also went from being the second option behind Towns, to being third. This likely didn’t sit well with Wiggins, given the amount of hype that surrounded him when he entered the NBA.

In Toronto, Wiggins would be either the first or second option, along with DeRozan. He would be asked to fill the scoring void left by Lowry. Wiggins would also have the opportunity to become the face of franchise.

In order for this trade to make sense for the Raptors, Masai Ujiri would need to be convinced that Wiggins can continue to expand his game. Wiggins needs to become a more efficient scorer. He also needs to become a better defender and playmaker.

The Raptors have installed a more egalitarian offense, but Wiggins would need to create shots for his teammates. This has not been a strong point for Wiggins early in his career. He has a career average of 2.1 assists per game.

Wiggins could look to emulate a player like DeRozan. He is someone who has added something new to his game every year. DeRozan improved dramatically this past season. He made the All-Star team for the fourth time and was a fringe MVP candidate.

Roster and payroll flexibility

The other benefit of adding Wiggins is it provides the Raptors with more versatility. Ideally, the team would start DeRozan at shooting guard, with Wiggins and OG Anunoby at the two forward positions. This would give the coaching staff three perimeter players in the starting lineup, who are capable of switching and spacing the floor.

The move would also shave $5.75 million off of the Raptors’ payroll for next season. This would put the Raptors far enough below the luxury tax apron, projected to be $129 million, to open up the Non-Taxpayer Midlevel Exception.

The Raptors could use the Midlevel Exception or one of the trade exceptions produced from the DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph trades, $11.8 million and $7.6 million respectively, to acquire another point guard. Or the team could hand the keys over one of their young point guards, Fred VanVleet or Delon Wright.

Despite the success the Raptors have had over the last five years, they are still one of the youngest teams in the league. The players under contract for next season have an average age of 25.75. This reduces to 25 with Wiggins in place of Lowry. For a comparison, the Philadelphia 76ers had an average age of 25.9 this past season.

Trading Lowry would be a tough pill to swallow. He has become the heart and soul of the team over the last six years. However, it is exactly the type of move that needs to be made. Lowry’s trade value will only decline as he continues to get older. As for Wiggins, he will be given the chance to become the player most thought he could be when he entered the league in 2014.

Next: Chances of each Raptor returning next season

Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and the Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post. Stats were provided by NBA.com.

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