The Toronto Raptors will be in the market for some upgrades at the 2020-21 NBA Trade Deadline, as they are in need of some depth both inside and outside. Names like Norman Powell and Aron Baynes have been floated as potential trade bait, and a trade might come to fruition in the coming weeks.
While the jam-packed Eastern Conference is making it difficult to figure out who is a contender and who is a pretender, there are still a few teams that are firmly rooted to the bottom of their conference standings, which makes them fertile soil that the Raptors could reap the benefits of this March.
Teams like the Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, and more have been struggling to string wins together, and that could force their front offices to cut their losses, get some picks and players for an inevitable rebuild, and look to the future. Toronto, meanwhile, could get some legitimate depth.
If Masai Ujiri ends up in a very aggressive mood, he could try to swing one of these three trades in order to get the sellers some assets for the future while turning the Raptors into a legitimate contender.
These 4 trades could make the Raptors a contender
Raptors trade No. 1: Toronto gets some scoring from the Detroit Pistons
The Pistons aren’t as desolate as they seem, as they have three first-round pick from this past draft to build around. In addition, Jerami Grant has proven that he was held back on the offensive end in Denver, scoring an automatic 20 points every night. Even with those positive signs, Detroit is still looking to deal.
The Pistons could trade away Wright, who has cracked 10 points per game for the first time in his career, and Jackson, who appears to be performing like a quality NBA rotation player the No. 4 overall pick’s difficult road back to the pros. If Toronto wants to give them short and long-term assets, this deal makes sense.
Why would this trade work for the Raptors?
The Raptors are in need of a point guard to run the second unit and an athletic wing that can attack the rim. Wright is starting to evolve as an offensive player, while Jackson is still the same high-flyer he was at Kansas. Given Nick Nurse’s player development ability, he’ll fix his jump shot in two seconds.
Detroit will get a first-round pick in return, while they can add a solid interior defender in ex-Piston Baynes, another former Piston in Johnson who looks like a slightly more efficient offensive player than he did in the past, and Davis, who could up his scoring average if given a bigger chunk of the scoring load.
Raptors trade No. 2: Toronto deals with the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota, who hired Toronto assistant Chris Finch as their head coach, are an impossibly unlucky situation. Not only do the Raptors have just seven wins despite the presence of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Edwards, but the Andrew Wiggins trade could force their first-round pick to transfer to Golden State.
Even amid all the losing, the Towns-Russell-Edwards trio is worth building around. If Toronto wants to flip a first-round pick in the hope of stealing someone away from Minnesota, then they could send a pick along with some veterans to the Timberwolves in order to land Culver and Davis.
Why would this trade work for the Raptors?
Culver, who was picked sixth overall out of Texas Tech two years ago, has been redundant by the selection of Edwards. Culver has improved his overall shooting percentage, but his 3-point percentage has gone down the tubes this season. Nurse might be able to fix him up and turn him into a long-term building block.
Davis offers little of value on the offensive end, but he is a tremendous rebounder, and he should give the Raptors the tough interior rebounder they need.
Raptors trade No. 3: Toronto gets assets from the Cleveland Cavaliers
Andre Drummond would be the dream scenario for the Raptors, as he would solve Toronto’s biggest issue in an emphatic way. Unfortunately, he might not be the most realistic, option, as the Raptors lack expensive options that they could send to Cleveland to make the money match up.
Osman, who signed a four-year contract in the offseason, is shooting 37% from the field. If the Raptors get their hands on him, he could end up becoming a potential long-term fixture.
Why would this trade work for the Raptors?
Powell could be in line to become the featured scorer in Cleveland, which could boost his long-term stock. Even if he doesn’t stay around in Cleveland, Powell might be able to pump up his stock and earn a figure in excess of $20 million per season next offseason.
McGee might not be Drummond, but he could be a quality rim-protector, with the Raptors that doesn’t require a ton of touches on the offensive end. With Powell likely leaving the Raptors, they could get someone that might stick around long-term in Toronto.
Raptors trade No. 4: Toronto gets Oladipo from the Houston Rockets
Oladipo rejected a two-year extension from the Rockets a few days ago. While this was expected, as he could be offered more in the offseason, that doesn’t change the fact that Oladipo is far from a sure bet to stick around. If he’s available, Ujiri would be doing fans a disservice by not checking in on him.
Oladipo is averaging 18.9 points per game this season while remaining one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. Even though he is a free agent at the end of the season, Oladipo could be the perfect addition to this Raptors team.
Why would this trade work for the Raptors?
There is a chance that Powell and Oladipo are both free agents at the end of the season, so why not swap Powell out for someone that could have a much higher ceiling on both ends of the floor? Brown has been a solid rotational guard that can give the Raptors even more depth behind him.