NBA insider says Raptors may make huge mid-season trade

The Toronto Raptors were mentioned in quite a hefty dose of trade rumors in the offseason, but Masai Ujiri chose to largely stay pat and bring back the same roster that won him 48 games last season. While not unreasonable to assume this group can compete, winning won’t come easy.

The Raptors saw Dejounte Murray, Ben Simmons, and Donovan Mitchell all join new Eastern Conference foes in 2022, making this half of the NBA as strong as it has been in decades. The roster as it stands right now might not be good enough to break through into the championship contender tier.

The Raptors are unique among contenders in that they have enough moveable assets to swing quite a nice trade if they so desire. ESPN insider Brian Windhorst seems to believe that Toronto could be lying in the weeds, waiting for the perfect trade opportunity to strike.

Windhorst claimed that the Raptors have the potential to be a spoiler in the Eastern Conference, adding that they are “primed to make a midseason trade.” Windhorst has been dead-on accurate in his trade reporting over the last few months, so this is an interesting sign.

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Will Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors pull off a trade?

Considering how teams ranked near the bottom of their conferences might be more likely to sell off some of their tradeable assets early due to the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, the Raptors need to be prepared to make an earth-shattering move earlier than anticipated.

One name that could theoretically make a ton of sense for a gargantuan deal is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is once again plying his trade for a Thunder team that is going nowhere fast. OKC would need nothing short of a haul to trade him, but the Raptors would certainly oblige if given a chance.

With Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet both in need of new contracts and Scottie Barnes getting ready for his eventual megadeal, Toronto might find it difficult to hand out new contracts to all of their starting five. This could get Ujiri’s trade gears spinning.

The Raptors have been known to zig when everyone else zags, so the idea of a huge trade that disrupts the roster is not going to be out of the realm of possibility. If the Raptors get off to a strong start this season and the Victor tank accelerates at the right time, Windhorst’s prediction may come true.