The Toronto Raptors will almost certainly be among the buyers at the NBA Trade Deadline, as this roster needs some new blood if they want to remain among the playoff contenders in a very crowded Eastern Conference.
Most of Toronto’s rumored trade activity has centered around veterans like Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, the Raptors shouldn’t place unnecessary restrictions on themselves by only looking at veterans on the market.
Several high draft picks from previous classes are currently stuck in some bad situations, as their talent is not being developed correctly amid constant losing. In a winning environment like Toronto build on player development, they could start to scratch the surface of their ability under Nick Nurse,
If Masai Ujiri is able to pull off one of these three trades, he could pick up a young player that is still nowhere close to reaching his full potential. Doing so could give the Raptors a young building block who could help in 2021 and beyond.
These 3 trades could get the Raptors some young players
Raptors trade No. 1: Toronto gets Troy Brown Jr. from Washington
Brown looked poised to really become one of Washington’s key offensive pieces after his sophomore season, as he averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the floor. In the span of one season, Brown has seen his momentum ebb away, playing in just 17 games.
The selection of Deni Avdija in the lottery last year and the signing of Davis Bertans has frozen Brown out of the rotation. Still, Brown is just 21 years old, and he looked to be on the come-up after his performance in the bubble. Toronto might be the best squad in terms of getting the most out of Brown.
How could Troy Brown Jr. help the Raptors?
The raptors could always use some more shooting, but the former No. 15 overall pick can also handle the ball, attack the rim, and play competent defense, even if Washington’s unit as a whole is getting torn up. Nurse has a thing for positionless wings that can move around in several different offensive roles, and Brown fits the bill.
Trading Johnson for Brown gives the Raptors a player with a much higher offensive ceiling, even if the defensive downgrade might be slight in the interim. He is in a complete funk on offense, but the Raptors could give him enough of a platform to overcome his slow start to 2020-21 and become a building block for the future in Toronto.