Toronto Raptors: Ranking Team Assets Prior to the 2019 NBA Offseason

Starting Five: Assets 5-1

5. Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol, much like the aforementioned Serge Ibaka, has one year left on his deal (a player option worth $25.59 million). Admittedly, Gasol is five years older than Ibaka and is set to make nearly 16 million dollars more than Fred VanVleet this upcoming season.

Normally, that would place him behind both of the aforementioned players in terms of value as a trade asset. However, Marc Gasol is still a very serviceable veteran piece who, much like Ibaka could be a very valuable asset to a contender with his short term deal.

Since turning 30 in 2014-15, Gasol’s numbers have fluctuated, but he has still managed to average no less than 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. A former defensive player of the year who has also shown to be a more-than-capable three-point shooter throughout his career (35-percent), Gasol still has a lot of ability at 34 years of age and can be a solid addition to any NBA team with the requisite cap space, but particularly with contending teams looking to get over the hump.

Of course, with age comes natural athletic regression for any of us not named LeBron James. For that reason, it is hard to tell how Gasol’s body will be able to handle itself next season, his age 35 campaign. Accordingly, his value as a trade asset for the Toronto Raptors could be limited by his physical standing and the fact that he is simply just nearing the end of his career.

Make no mistake about it though, any team that would be trading for Gasol would still be getting a more-than-serviceable veteran with great basketball IQ and the ability to continue impacting the game through raw production as well. Ultimately, that is why he gets such a high spot on this list at the moment.

4. Kyle Lowry

For all of the slander that Kyle Lowry receives, the numbers actually indicate that Lowry is still an extremely productive NBA player. This past regular season, despite being the third option for Toronto, Lowry averaged nearly 14 points and nine assists on 51.8 effective field-goal percentage and 83-percent from the free throw line.

His playoff numbers similarly showcase that Lowry is an upper echelon talent in the NBA, which inherently would make him deserving of such a high spot on this team asset ranking list.

Beyond raw statistics with respect to points, rebounds, and assists, Kyle Lowry has also shown to be immensely valuable outside of typical “box score” production, having finished in the top five among all NBA players in four different hustle stats this postseason.

Charges drawn, offensive loose balls recovered, defensive loose balls recovered and deflections are those specific statistics, and Lowry’s place among NBA players in those four categories reaffirms how valuable he would be for any team acquiring him, both inside and outside the box score.

Of course, on the flip side, Lowry is set to turn 34 years of age next season and his $33.2 million dollar salary is not a light one for any team to take on, which may limit his value as a trade asset for other teams.

However, given that his contract only has a single season remaining, coupled with the fact that the 33-year-old point guard can still be a worthwhile piece on an NBA roster next season, Lowry ultimately still presents as one of the Raptors’ most valuable trade assets this offseason.

3. 2021-2025 First Round Picks

For the same reasons that the 2020 first-round pick (number seven on this list) is a valuable trade asset to this organization, the franchize’s 2021-2025 first-round selections are top-flight trade assets in Toronto.

A function of the uncertainty surrounding Kawhi Leonard’s future in this city, the potential exists for the Toronto Raptors to become a middle-of-the-pack or below average team in the span of a couple of months in line with his departure.

Accordingly, if Kawhi does leave Toronto, these future first-rounders become exponentially more valuable trade assets to this team. The worse this team is, the better the chances that these picks become mid-to-early first-round draft choices instead of late first round picks as they have been for the greater part of the last decade.

Simply put, the more likely they are to be early-round selections, the more value they would hold as trade assets to other teams.

Ultimately, the value of these picks depends almost entirely on the decision Kawhi Leonard makes in free agency this offseason. If Leonard re-signs in Toronto, these picks would presumably fall further back in this ranking.

However, if Kawhi does depart this organization — which still seems to be the popular opinion — these picks could become early first-rounders based on Toronto’s future success, meaning that these draft choices would quite easily become more valuable trade pieces than most other assets on this team.

2. Pascal Siakam (or 1A/1B)

This past season, Pascal Siakam turned himself into arguably the Raptors’ second option on offense. Averaging nearly 17 points and seven rebounds this season for Toronto, Siakam completely flourished in the extra opportunity he received with the departure of DeMar DeRozan last July. On top of that, Pascal put up these numbers on 54.9-percent from the field, nearly 37-percent from three and just under 79-percent from the free throw line.

What is most remarkable about this trajectory from Siakam, which plays a significant role in his value as a trade asset is that Siakam is still just 25 years of age and only a three-year NBA veteran.

What this means for any potential trade partner is that they would be receiving a player who is clearly on the rise and is still young enough to be a key part of an organization for a long time. Whereas players like Gasol or Lowry are nearing the end of their careers, Pascal is just getting started in this league and looks like he will be a solid player for many years to come.

Ultimately, the one negative reality that may hinder Siakam’s value as a trade asset is that he only has one year left on his current deal. This is no fault of his, but it is crucial to consider this. In short, Siakam is due for a major pay raise in a very short while and although he is very much worth such a raise at this point, it is one thing that may hinder his trade value in the eyes of another team.

All things considered, however, the leap he has made this season, coupled with the fact that he is only 25 years of age and he still has one year left on his contract at just $2.35 million make Siakam an unquestionably worthy candidate for the 1A/1B spot on this team asset ranking list.

1. OG Anunoby (or 1A/1B)

At this particular moment, calling OG Anunoby a better trade asset than Pascal Siakam is a reasonably difficult task. Given Siakam’s rise this past season, it seems unwise and unreasonable to give Anunoby the edge here.

What is true about Anunoby though, is that he is no slouch compared to Siakam. Before getting injured this season, OG’s numbers were not flashy but they were productive. Particularly on the defensive end of the floor, Anunoby showed a significant deal of promise with his length and versatility.

With that said, it seems unfair to compare the two based on raw statistical production since Siakam was the team’s starting power forward and Anunoby was on the bench behind Kawhi Leonard, which is exactly why we won’t make that comparison here.

All things considered, however, Anunoby is a whole four years younger than Siakam. Almost just as important consideration for any team trading for Anunoby is that he has one more year of team control (a $3.87 million player option for 2020-2021) than Pascal. In other words, he will require a raise in salary an entire year later than Siakam would.

Ultimately, both Anunoby and Siakam are promising young players (with a lot of potential) on very cheap contracts. That said, Anunoby takes the edge as a trade asset here given his age and contract status, which make him an ultimately cheaper and slightly more valuable trade asset at the moment for any team considering acquiring him — to the ultimate benefit of the Toronto Raptors.