The Toronto Raptors raised some eyebrows around the NBA Draft world when they met with a pair of versatile guards in Dyson Daniels and Bennedict Mathurin that many expect to be picked in the Top 10. Could Masai Ujiri be eyeing a significant trade-up into the lottery?
While the Kings might be willing to trade away the No. 4 pick to bring a win-now veteran to Sacramento, the Portland Trail Blazers could part with the No. 7 overall pick to find a complimentary star alongside Damian Lillard. Toronto could be in a position to offer Portland some promising assets.
While Toronto likely has a degree of interest in moving up for one of those Top 10 prospects, they need to avoid giving away a comically large collection of assets to Portland. Bleacher Report apparently did not get that memo, as the Raptors are giving away a star for Daniels.
B/R proposed a mock trade that sends OG Anunoby and the No. 33 pick to Portland in exchange for the No. 7 overall pick (which turned into Daniels) and veteran guard Eric Bledsoe. While Toronto will have to give up a ton in any lottery trade, this seems a bit rich for the Raptors.
Dyson Daniels has met with 9 teams so far at the NBA Combine, including the Knicks, Hawks, Cavaliers, Bucks, Raptors, Kings
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) May 19, 2022
The Toronto Raptors might not pull off this insane Dyson Daniels trade.
Saying that this trade would be bad for the Raptors is in no way a shot at Daniels’ skills. In fact, he is arguably the best ball-handler in this draft class with a decade-long career in the NBA ahead of him. The issue with this deal is the fact that Toronto is surrendering a ton of capital.
Getting Bledsoe at this stage of his career is not nearly the benefit some might believe. While he’s not washed, he’s not as valuable a commodity as he once was. Daniels might also need some adjustment time after coming from the G League, while Anunoby has years of experience.
While Daniels would be a terrific fit in Nurse’s scheme due to his size and mobility, his odds becoming as good or better than Anunoby while Toronto’s contention window is open are small. Anunoby has his injury concerns, but that’s not worth altogether ditching him for a rookie like Daniels.
https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1516970091904049153
The idea of trading into the lottery could end up benefitting the Raptors in the long-term, but they shouldn’t give up a player like Anunoby to move up 26 spots. Blazers fans need to cancel their Anunoby jersey pre-orders.