The Toronto Raptors need help up front with Aron Baynes not getting the job done – there’s no arguing that. The main question facing the club ahead of the March 25th trade deadline is how focused Masai Ujiri, Bobby Webster, and company are, or should be, on improving their 2020-21 prospects in a season that in all likelihood,= won’t result in an NBA title.
There’s no reason for the Raptors to avoid addressing obvious holes unless they are jeopardizing their long-term growth by sacrificing valuable future assets, something Ujiri would surely avoid doing.
First and foremost among those future assets is Toronto’s 2021 first-round pick. No, the Raptors aren’t about to tank, but they seem poised to make their highest selection since taking Jakob Poeltl ninth overall in 2016. In a seriously deep draft, no less.
If the Raptors take their first-rounder out of the equation in pursuit of help in the middle, their list of realistic trade targets obviously dwindles a bit. Still, that’s not to say that viable impact players can’t be had with a first still in Toronto’s pocket. If you also remove players owed big money in future years, there remain some intriguing options. Here are three of the best.
These three cheap big men could replace Aron Baynes on the Raptors
No. 3: Ed Davis
While most memories of Rudy Gay’s time with the Raptors revolve around the franchise-altering trade that saw him leave the organization, the 2013 deal to acquire him was pretty big at the time. To get the gifted 26-year-old scorer in a three-team deal, the club surrendered long-time cornerstone Jose Calderon, but the real risk was giving up 23-year-old big man Ed Davis.
While Gay lasted less than a year in Toronto, the Raps weren’t exactly burned by the deal, as Davis never developed into anything more than a steady reserve. Still, at 31 years of age, it’s his presence on the glass that has kept him in the league to this point.
Davis could be a solid big off of the bench for the Raptors
Playing in Minnesota, Davis is averaging 5.1 rebounds a night in just 13.9 minutes of playing time. He’s actually out-rebounding 21-year-old teammate Naz Reid despite giving up nearly 50 pounds and eight minutes per game. To put that in a Raptors perspective, Baynes is pulling down 5.4 rebounds a game in five more minutes while earning $2 million more than Davis.
Given that he’s currently playing sparse minutes for the league’s worst team, it probably isn’t realistic to expect Davis to fully replace Baynes’s role. However, as they showed on Tuesday night by topping the Milwaukee Bucks, the Raptors don’t necessarily need to rely on a true center at all times. In that sense, a reunion could work.
When Davis averaged 17.3 rebounds per 36 minutes with the Brooklyn Nets, he showed that he can hoover up rebounds off of the bench. With Toronto lacking in size, a player with his skills is desperately needed.