3 buy-low trade targets the Raptors could give a second chance

1. Eric Paschall, Utah Jazz

Paschall was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Warriors. After a loss to Toronto in the NBA Finals and the departure of Kevin Durant, Paschall came to the Warriors at a strange time.

The 2019-20 season was going to be difficult after injuries picked up by Stephen Curry with Klay Thompson kept them out of Steve Kerr’s lineup. Paschall averaged 14.0 points on 49.7% shooting in 28.9 minutes per game, which was a very positive showing from the second-round selection.

As time went on, the wide-bodied 6-6 power forward saw his role reduced with the Warriors. Without a defined role to fill on that team, Paschall was traded this off-season for a protected second-round pick.

Paschall is still not getting the opportunities he enjoyed in his rookie season with Golden State. He has played in 22 games for the Jazz, but hasn’t started in any games. His minutes per game has also dropped to just 11.0 per game.

Eric Paschall is a big forward the Toronto Raptors could use.

Toronto has a lack of depth and size in their frontcourt. Paschall is not the tallest player, but at 255 pounds, he would provide some girth and strength in the frontcourt against bigger centers. At the moment, with Achiuwa and Birch injured, Toronto has taken to using Boucher, a wiry, lightweight forward, at the center position.

The Raptors need bodies in the frontcourt, and the former Villanova Wildcat could provide that depth. Pascall can also score at the NBA level, doing so with a fairly efficient field goal average of 49.2% for his career. Paschall could use work on developing a more consistent three-point shot, but there are several Raptors now who have that issue.

The Raptors could run the risk of losing him as a UFA this summer but it couldn’t hurt to add the depth and scoring he could bring. Provided he’d want to stay, if he were traded to the Raptors, he wouldn’t cost a lot to retain either.

Does Raptors’ management feel a need to tinker or alter the direction of the team? Any one of these three transactions would be relatively minor, but even small changes can cause large ripples in the fabric of chemistry for a young team such as the Raptors.