The Toronto Raptors are not going to have the same 16 players on the roster two months from now. Masai Ujiri is already hard at work trying to figure out how to either improve this team in the short-term around Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes or move more towards selling off assets.
The latter option isn’t something that fans want to see, but they may need to confront that unfortunate reality if the team continues to lose. With big contract extensions for Siakam and OG Anunoby potentially on the docket for the next two years, Toronto must hand out money very wisely.
As such, many of their impact players could be traded away. Not only would such a move breathe some new life into a roster that has very clearly hit a wall in the last few weeks, but it could make the Raptors (who very rarely dip into the luxury tax) more financially flexible in the next few years.
While Toronto has some assets that could net them quite a pretty penny in trade talks, there are a few players that are either too good to give up on or too unattractive for teams to consider acquiring. As such, a few players hold the key to determining the direction of this franchise.
Toronto Raptors trade tiers: Which players will be moved?
Tier 1: Off-Limits or not valuable
- PF Pascal Siakam
- SF Scottie Barnes
- PF Precious Achiuwa
- C Christian Koloko
- SF Otto Porter Jr.
- PG Dalano Banton
- PG Jeff Dowtin
- SF Ron Harper Jr.
The record-breaking Siakam and Barnes will not be moved anytime soon, as the Raptors will do anything they can to build this roster around their two dynamic power forwards. Koloko has shown more promise than most second-round picks in this class, so he’s not going anywhere.
Even though Achiuwa is a very raw offensive piece in his third season, Toronto has seen more than enough out of him to keep him around for the immediate future. If the Raptors can get him back to full strength, they should be able to milk as much value out of him as possible.
The Toronto Raptors won’t trade Scottie Barnes.
Despite the fact that he is just 29 years old and fresh off contributing to a championship team, the injuries that Porter has sustained with the Raptors have been so bad that they’ve limited him to just eight games. That’s not a player teams are clamoring for.
Dowtin and Harper are solid young players, but neither of them is going to be considered an asset worth acquiring by most of the teams in the league. The Raptors will do something, but this chunk of players is not going to go anywhere.
Tier 2: Available only for the right price
- SG Gary Trent Jr
- SF OG Anunoby
- PF Thad Young
- PF Juancho Hernagomez
Trent seems the most tradeable due to his contract situation, but this offense is incapable of operating at an NBA level without his tremendous 3-point shooting. He’s made himself more valuable to Toronto than ever before during a very productive 2022-23 season.
Anunoby likely isn’t going to move, given his defensive wizardry. However, some recent buzz from Zach Lowe suggests that teams around the league would pay an eye-watering sum to acquire him. Anunoby should only get traded if the Raptors get a Godfather offer that only a fool would turn down.
The Toronto Raptors likely won’t move OG Anunoby.
Young’s role remains inconsistent, as he will go from playing 30 minutes one night to not playing at all the next. Considering that he was traded for a first-round pick just a season ago, it’s not unreasonable to assume that some team might be interested in acquiring him for a similar price.
Hernangomez looked like a diamond in the rough after he managed to wiggle his way into the starting lineup. Still, his inability to shoot well consistently has made it hard for him to maintain that role. Hernangomez might be included in a larger deal as a throw-in piece.
Tier 3: Look into moving them
- PG Fred VanVleet
- PF Chris Boucher
- C Khem Birch
- PG Malachi Flynn
If the Raptors want to move off one of their expiring contracts and get the most value back, VanVleet could be the best option. The executive who traded DeMar DeRozan and watched Kyle Lowry move to Miami would likely have no qualms about trading VanVleet for a haul at the deadline.
Boucher has ended up back in the doghouse, making his three-year contract in free agency look less impressive by the day. He is eligible to be traded after January 15, and that move could help the Raptors get rid of the excess number of power forwards on the roster.
The Toronto Raptors should consider trading Fred VanVleet.
While Flynn looks like a reputable NBA player who could hold down a rotation role, he’s still too inconsistent on both ends for Nurse to fall in love with him. He might need a fresh start to achieve his full pro potential, and the trade deadline could help him find it.
The Birch contract is looking like a mistake, as Koloko has jumped ahead of him in the rotation and he rarely plays more than a handful of minutes per game. Even though he’s Canadian, you can bet Ujiri is looking at ways to get out of this contract as soon as possible.