Perfect Raptors trade target emerges due to Pistons’ losing

The Toronto Raptors are going to be in a position to be aggressive this year at the trade deadline, as the team lacks great shooting and depth on the perimeter. If the Detroit Pistons are foolish enough to trade away more assets, the Raptors could end up as the benefactor.

With Cade Cunningham’s injury likely ending whatever thoughts Troy Weaver may have had in when it comes to escaping the Victor Wembanyama craze, the Pistons might actually decide to reboot the roster just a bit. Saddiq Bey has reportedly been the most recent name that Detroit has thrown into the rumor mill.

The Raptors will likely target young players that don’t need to be paid quite yet, meaning that the Pistons could actually make a somewhat convincing offer to Masai Ujiri if Bey is actually going to be on the market. Per Jake Fischer, Detroit is listening on him.

Fresh off making a pitiful seven of 29 3-point attempts in a loss against the Nets that shows the lack of offensive quality on the bench, the Raptors could take a flier on Bey right before his payday. This is the same philosophy that helped them land Gary Trent Jr. when they made the deal with Portland.

Will the Toronto Raptors trade for Saddiq Bey?

Bey is averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 rebounds this year, including a six-game stretch starting at the end of October in which he averaged 20.2 points per game. If he came to Toronto, Bey would perform two key roles; teaming with Otto Porter Jr. to improve the team’s perimeter game and giving Toronto more depth if OPJ gets hurt again.

Bey is 6-7 and switchable, which Ujiri needs to see before he even gives you the time of day as a perimeter player. Even though he’s been inconsistent for most of his career, he’s evolved from a spot-up specialist to someone that can be trusted to create for himself and crash the boards.

Bey, like another interesting trade target in Immanuel Quickley, is not an efficient scorer, currently posting a dead even 40% field goal percentage in his career. Not only does Bey face the question of if his production was aided by getting shots up for a bad team, but that production has taken a step backward after his second season.

Bey will likely be a Piston by the end of the deadline, but the Raptors might be able to change Troy Weaver’s mind if Detroit continues to fall even further away from their stated goal of improvement.

Bey might be relegated to sideshow status alongside Cunningham and Wembanyama, while Toronto will feature him heavily on a playoff team.