Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors are in full sell mode right now, as the likes of Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell are being discussed as potential trade bait for teams interesting in competing for a championship.
Ujiri and the Raptors have been in discussion with teams like the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers, both of whom are firmly among the contenders in a very crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture.
While neither of them has tons of draft capital to give away, they have some younger pieces that will be very interesting to a rebuilding team like Toronto. Miami has a potential star in Tyler Herro that they could be willing to part with, while the 76ers might be willing to give away former first-round pick Tyrese Maxey if it means they can get one of Toronto’s two stars.
Ujiri has shown he can turn a team from a bottom-feeder into a winner, as he has done that in both Toronto and Denver. However, the Raptors are approaching what could be a long rebuild, and Ujiri needs to show he can turn this baby around by insisting on getting one of those two young guards in exchange for Powell and/or Lowry.
The sticking point in a Lowry-to-Miami scenario is Tyler Herro. Miami is ok to give up 26yo Robinson, a pending RFA who might be pricy to sign; Raptors prefer 21yo Herro who is on 2nd year of rookie deal.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) March 23, 2021
Masai Ujiri needs to set the Toronto Raptors up for success
Herro might be in the middle of a rough cold stretch, but everything in his pro career leading up to this point suggests he’ll break out of it, as he has averaged 14.1 points per game on 42% shooting and 4.6 rebounds per game through his first two years in the league.
Maxey, another Kentucky Wildcats star that actually followed Herro at the 2-guard spot, has found minutes hard to come by on a Philly team intent on winning a title. Maxey has averaged 7.5 points per game on 46% shooting, including a 39-point performance against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
While Herro appears to be both the better player and the one with the higher ceiling, Maxey looks like as good a finisher at the rim. If the latter improves his shooting, Toronto could find a new core piece to build around.
The Raptors, by virtue of playing in Toronto, don’t have the best history when it comes to retaining impending free agents. Just look at the 2019 title team. Stars like Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, and Marc Gasol left Toronto for Los Angeles, leaving the Raptors with nothing in return.
With a subpar group of free agent guards on the market and Toronto’s draft position far from settled, Ujiri needs to get Toronto someone that start alongside Fred VanVleet for the next half-decade. Failing to do so would almost defeat the purpose of a trade, as it would essentially move the Raptors back to square one.
Acquiring Herro or Maxey completely locks in the Toronto starting backcourt for the next three seasons, and that group could be good enough to help Toronto fight for a playoff spot and avoid a complete rebuild.
Ujiri has been a master negotiator in the past, and he needs to come through to help out the Raptors.