Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors are currently stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings, having refrained from being either engagingly good or amusingly bad this season. Every positive the team has going for them can be canceled out by players like Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes struggling.
While Pascal Siakam is playing elite basketball in every single facet at the moment, VanVleet has taken a step back from an efficiency point of view. Barnes has made genuine strides as a playmaker, but his offensive effectiveness and defensive focus are lacking.
This will make it difficult for Ujiri to pick a direction at the trade deadline. Will he try to make a run for the postseason by being cavalier and making some risky win-now moves? Has he realized that the core is totally stagnant and some trades that lean more towards selling could be in order?
If the Raptors do want to start making some moves, no matter which direction they go, they actually have one of the deepest war chests of picks and players the league has to offer. This trio of assets stands out above the rest as the most valuable bargaining chips that Ujiri can lean on.
Top 3 Toronto Raptors trade assets
3. First-round Picks
The Raptors will likely relish the fact they can make a high-end draft pick after trading away their first-round selection last season to acquire Thad Young. However, with Ujiri in possession of so many future firsts, the Raptors could turn those around and get some winners in exchange for this future capital.
While the Raptors are in the Victor Wembanyama hunt, even if it’s a very remote possibility, Toronto is on track for an early play-in exit that will help their first-round pick land somewhere in the teens. These picks will be attractive for any team looking for some sweet additions to hypothetical trade packages.
Will the Toronto Raptors trade any first-round picks?
Toronto has Siakam in the prime of his career. While the Raptors may want to build around a young core with Barnes at the heart of everything, they can’t go too heavy on development when they have an All-NBA star at the peak of his powers. Aggression could be the name of the game here.
The Raptors have a brilliant chance to maximize their potential in the next few years, but they will find it difficult to win with a Siakam/Barnes duo leading the charge if multiple rotation spots are being taken up by developing players trying to get their feet wet. Ujiri has enough picks to trade while still holding most of his future capital.
2. Fred VanVleet
VanVleet, much like Gary Trent Jr, has a player option that could be refused at the end of the season. The Raptors are likely far away from pressing the trade button on one of the best players in franchise history, but the idea of getting younger and deeper at the expense of VanVleet might be appealing for Ujiri.
VanVleet is regressing this season, as he is shooting 38% from the field and went through nearly a month of consecutive games in which he failed to hit 40% of his shots. A smaller player who is going to turn 30 soon and demand a new contract worth close to nine figures, VanVleet may not fit the timeline.
The Toronto Raptors could get a ton for Fred VanVleet in a trade.
If he does get moved, he will still have plenty of suitors. Toronto could get quite a nice return for him. He’s still a quality defender, can man both guard spots on offense, and is a terrific 3-point shooter when he gets on a hot streak. It’s easy to forget he was an All-Star less than 12 months ago.
A young team in need of a veteran maypole they can build around could find value in trying to bring VanVleet into the fold, but a contender who wants extra shooting will likely play a premium price in order to secure him for the next few seasons. Expect his name to continue being mentioned in both selling and buying conversations.
1. OG Anunoby
Let’s be very clear here. If I had my druthers, Anunoby would be wearing red and black for the rest of his career. However, if the latest rumors are true, Ujiri might get his socks knocked off with a truly outrageous offer that can set the Raptors up for long-term success.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe hinted that the haul Toronto would get in a hypothetical Anunoby trade is similar to what the Jazz got for Donovan Mitchell in their deal with the Cavaliers. While Anunoby is an ascending player on both ends with an affordable contract, this could be too good to pass up.
Can the Toronto Raptors find a trade for OG Anunoby?
The only way the Raptors should even consider this is if a superstar becomes available (where OG can headline the outgoing package) or if they get a Mitchell-esque haul that gives them such an embarrassment of riches that they would be foolish to turn it down.
With average players requiring first-round picks in trades and no one worth their salt as a difference-maker moving without multiple prized assets exchanging hands, the Raptors might be able to take advantage of a trade market that is completely out of whack.
Anunoby will likely stay, but the idea of a trade should be a very real possibility in this fanbase’s collective hive mind.