4 trade assets Raptors could acquire from rebuilding Jazz
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors may not have been the most active trade partner in Donovan Mitchell talks, but they were always hanging around the sweepstakes in the off chance that the Utah Jazz decided to entertain their offer. They had to officially end their pursuit on Thursday afternoon.
Mitchell was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a shocking trade that saw Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, and No. 14 pick Ochai Agbaji move to Utah. The Raptors had made some inquiries, as did the rival Knicks, but Cleveland’s late offer appeared to beat out Toronto.
Masai Ujiri might not put down the trading phone just yet, as Utah has shown they are bottoming out in the Oklahoma City mold. Anyone who could be for sale may be moved if the Raptors come with the proper collection of assets, namely first-round picks.
These 4 Jazz players could all be on the move as Danny Ainge seeks to rebuild the roster around his collection of picks. Toronto could flip a few assets Utah’s way in order to get even stronger in what has become an even more complicated Eastern Conference.
Toronto Raptors: 4 Utah Jazz players to trade for
4. Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Alexander-Walker went from a top-20 pick and a critical part of the Pelicans’ future to someone struggling to get any semblance of playing time. With Sexton and Malik Beasley having arrived in Utah thanks to the two big trades, the Canadian native is unlikely to see playing time.
Alexander-Walker went from playing 26.3 minutes per game in New Orleans to just 9.9 in Utah. Despite the reduction, his 12.8 points per game with the Pelicans implies that a quality offensive stricture around him might be enough to get him performing at an elite level.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker could help the Toronto Raptors.
While the Raptors need to give up someone in order to acquire a young player with potential, his value has likely been dented to the point where Toronto can grab him without completely sinking their treasure trove of assets. Maybe a player like Khem Birch and a heavily protected pick gets the job done?
Alexander-Walker is admittedly very risky, considering how he fell off last year. Toronto needs to guess if that decline in Utah came from a lack of opportunity or a lack of skill. If it’s the former, he’d be a welcome addition to a bench that is always looking for new members.