The Toronto Raptors appear to be swiftly pivoting strategies amid all of the Kevin Durant trade rumors. After going into the offseason once again looking to build around Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam, the Durant trade request has pushed them into a more aggressive tier.
The Raptors have continuously been mentioned as a potential trade partner for Durant. That sounds like a no-brainer for Toronto, but Durant is still such an insanely good player that the Raptors would need to totally gut their collection of future assets to have a shot at acquiring him.
Barnes has been thrown around as a potential dealbreaker in Durant talks. The general consensus is that the Raptors are unwilling to include Barnes in trade packages, as they don’t want to give away a budding All-Star for someone with as many battle scars as Durant.
The Raptors are likely going to be in the KD hunt until the last available moment, but they should be steadfast in their desire to keep Barnes on the roster. Sending him to Brooklyn in the Durant deal could haunt the Raptors for years to come if he panes out.
3 reasons Raptors can’t trade Scottie Barnes for Kevin Durant
3. Long-term potential
Part of what makes Durant coming to Toronto so attractive is the idea of what he could bring to a Barnes-led team. Even though Barnes may not become the scorer or overall player Durant has been at his best, Scottie will be such an intriguing long-term piece for Toronto to nurture.
Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game last year despite being billed as a raw offensive player and often going into games as the fourth or fifth scoring option. With his jumper starting to be a more effective weapon than it was in the past, Barnes is on the rise.
Scottie Barnes will benefit the Toronto Raptors in the long term.
If the Raptors manage to acquire Durant without giving up Barnes, Scottie would have a perfect mentor to learn from on the offensive end. Durant has already been very positive in his praise of Barnes’ skills, and he could play a part in refining those skills to the point where Scottie becomes a 20-per-game scorer.
While the Raptors would instantly become a contender with Durant, it would be tough to see Barnes blossom in Brooklyn as a result of this deal. A KD-Barnes 1-2 punch would keep Toronto in the hunt for the next half-decade and help set Scottie up for success when Durant departs.
2. Contract flexibility
The Raptors are going to be put in a tough spot financially if they acquire Durant. On top of the fact that they have to deal with max contract money for the next four years in addition to Siakam’s deal, KD could make it more challenging for Toronto to adequately compensate some of their role players.
A potential Fred VanVleet extension could get even more complex. If one of either Gary Trent Jr. or OG Anunoby is somehow not traded in the Durant deal, giving them a long-term extension will be even tougher to pull off. What about role players like Precious Achiuwa? Barnes being on a rookie deal is a valuable asset.
The Raptors can build around Scottie Barnes and Kevin Durant.
In a perfect world that likely will not happen, the Rookie of the Year will be ready to take over the mantle of leader from Durant and Siakam by the time Toronto needs to give him that max extension. Giving up a star on a rookie deal is the height of irresponsibility.
Be it adding a buyout target on a cheaper short-term deal or allowing Toronto to bring in ring-chasers in the offseason, Barnes’ relative cheapness when compared to some of Toronto’s other heavy hitters will help the Raptors improve despite two big names eating up most of their cap.
1. They can make an attractive package without him
Everyone in the larger basketball media landscape seems to be suggesting that the Raptors can’t get a deal done without including Barnes. The opposite is true. The Raptors have the luxury of being able to keep most of their core intact if they trade for Durant.
Trent and Anunoby would likely be goners in a Durant deal. While the likes of VanVleet and Siakam can’t consider themselves to be 100% safe just yet, Toronto can still build a package that Brooklyn would be willing to accept without giving up one of the most valuable assets in basketball.
The Toronto Raptors have the assets to get Kevin Durant.
With the Deandre Ayton situation making it challenging for Phoenix, reportedly Durant’s favorite destination, to pull off a trade, it’s getting difficult for other teams to compete with the collection of picks and players that the Raptors can lay at Brooklyn’s feet.
The Raptors will have a very tough time parting ways with those types of players to get Durant, but they might have an easier time doing so if they know that their competition for KD is fading and those stars will be enough to secure a deal. Scottie, KD, Precious, Fred, and Pascal together is one heck of a lineup.