Raptors: 3 players who may not finish the season in Toronto

1. Goran Dragic

While he did issue an apology, Dragic already let the genie out of the bottle when he announced that he wasn’t exactly keen on arriving in Toronto. In addition to the fact Dragic’s age is starting to very slowly whittle away at his production, he doesn’t sound all the way committed to helping the Raptors win games.

Dragic could be moved before the trade deadline, both for competitive and tax purposes. Even if he doesn’t end up at his preferred destination in Dallas, some team will be willing to pay Toronto quite the pretty penny if the market for scoring guards is starting to dry up.

https://twitter.com/theScore/status/1424814739130130435

Will the Toronto Raptors trade Goran Dragic?

While Dragic could be inclined to stay in Toronto puts a miraculous run together and becomes a championship contender, the far more realistic scenario is that he backs up Fred VanVleet until they find a way to offload him for some players and draft capital. He’s declining, yes, but he can still get buckets at a high level.

If anyone in this rotation is likely to get axed, it’s Dragic. Everyone else is either too young (Barnes, Trent, Achiuwa, Malachi Flynn) or too valuable to the cause (VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby).

Dragic can fulfill his “higher ambitions” with a contender, while the Raptors can continue adding more assets to the future. Not only could this happen, but it must come to fruition.