Raptors: Should Toronto trade for Kings big man Marvin Bagley III?

Could Marvin Bagley III be on his way to the Raptors in the future?

While the Sacramento Kings expected former Duke star Marvin Bagley to serve as a franchise cornerstone, the two parties appear headed for a divorce, due in part to both his inconsistent play on the court and his family making noise off of it, after his father demanded that the Kings trade his son.

With the Kings seemingly ready to build around a young backcourt of De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, Bagley’s name might come up in trade talks over the next few months. With the Toronto Raptors spiraling out of control, Masai Ujiri might be inclined to take a chance on him.

Marvin Bagley III could get better coaching in Toronto than he did in Sacramento.

The media narrative around Bagley is that he has been a complete disaster in Sacramento, exacerbated by the fact that he was picked before both Trae Young and Luka Doncic. While that looks like the wrong decision in retrospect, his dominant college career at Duke and intriguing offensive profile made him a logical choice for the second overall pick in 2018.

While he is shooting threes at the best rate of his career, and his 8.6 boards per game is also a career-high, the Kings are scoring just 91 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor and allowing 114 points. A fresh start is needed, and Nurse might be the perfect coach to unlock his potential.

Nurse’s developmental ability is what made him an exceptional G League coach and championship-winning NBA coach, and Bagley could be his next renovation project. As good as Chris Boucher is, Bagley might offer more potential on the offensive end given his handles, sweet-shooting, and uncommon speed for a player his size. Even though the defense would take a step back if Bagley saw time over Aron Baynes, the All-Star potential is still there and evident whenever he gets into a groove, and that might be worth trading for.

The Raptors have a somewhat uncertain future coming down the block in the next few years, as Kyle Lowry’s eventual retirement and Pascal Siakam’s current inability to make the leap to superstar could leave this team in complete flux. However, by trading for Bagley and creating a super-young, super-talented frontcourt of the future between him and Siakam, Toronto might be able to remain a fixture in the Eastern Conference postseason.

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