Raptors Rapture
Fansided

4 huge trades Masai Ujiri could make to shake up Raptors’ roster

By Mike Luciano

TORONTO, ONTARIO - JUNE 19: Masai Ujiri, President, Toronto Raptors attends the 2020 Audi Innovation Series on June 19, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/Getty Images for Audi Innovation Series)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - JUNE 19: Masai Ujiri, President, Toronto Raptors attends the 2020 Audi Innovation Series on June 19, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/Getty Images for Audi Innovation Series) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
D'Angelo Russell, Toronto Raptors
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 09: D’Angelo Russell #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) /

2. D’Angelo Russell, Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota is locked into Rudy Gobert thanks to their huge trade, and Anthony Edwards isn’t going anywhere. If the Timberwolves want to move off one of their players to retool, the only one who really makes any sort of sense is Russell.

Russell’s scoring might be down this year, but he’s lost shot attempts due to the emergence of Edwards. In the last four seasons, Russell has averaged over 20 points per game.

Suppose Nurse can give him the super soldier serum that made Gary Trent Jr. a viable defender (before this year). In that case, Russell could be a system shock that cranks Toronto’s offense up to the next level, thanks to his terrific offensive creation skills.

D’Angelo Russell is a high-end trade target for the Toronto Raptors.

An unrestricted free agent after this season, Russell coming to Toronto could end in one of two ways, both of which are beneficial in the short term. Given his contract, Russell is not going to be too expensive to acquire in terms of the capital Minnesota will get back.

If he stays long-term, Toronto will have a former All-Star guard and lethal scorer who stands 6-4 that could give them a younger alternative to some of the veterans on the roster.

Russell is in that weird middle ground of the NBA. While he’s not good enough to become a franchise point guard, he’s so good that would-be contenders from across the league are tripping over themselves to acquire him. With Toronto lacking in scoring and Russell’s value shrinking, the Raptors may just end up being able to land him.