3 young scoring guards Raptors could add at trade deadline

The Toronto Raptors are on the verge of making a huge trade that fundamentally changes how the roster looks. The team’s current alignment is clearly not making the team much more successful, so the Raptors may move off one of their starters in order to get some extra depth.

Be it Gary Trent Jr, Fred VanVleet, or another name of some significance that ends up being thrown into the rumor mill, Masai Ujiri is likely going to be open for business in the next few weeks. When prioritizing return packages, the goal should be controllable young scorers.

The league is full of contenders who could take Toronto up on its offer. With plenty of quality rotation players who may be squeezed out of a stretch role or won’t be able to nail down a consistent part due to the presence of more talented players, Toronto will not be short on trade targets to eyeball.

If the Raptors come out of this trade season with one of these three players on the team, they could chalk this up as a success. The team needs to get younger and more dynamic, and adding one of this young trio will help achieve that goal relatively quickly.

3 young scorers the Toronto Raptors could trade for.

3. Bones Hyland, PG, Denver Nuggets

Hyland has been Denver’s chief bench standout this season, but it will be hard for Denver to keep him long-term in that role. With the presence of Jamal Murray and the fact that Hyland is the fifth option, at best, Hyland might be a high-end target for Toronto.

Hyland is averaging 13.5 points this season while making 41% of his 3-pointers. While his namesake nickname is due to a skinny frame that will make him a below-average finisher at the rim, he would give them a boost of electricity that the bench is clearly lacking right now.

Bones Hyland could be the point guard the Toronto Raptors need.

Hyland will join a Raptors bench that needs to pull teeth to score 10 points every night, so any sort of young player that can come in and be dynamic will be worth the price of their respective acquisitions. If Toronto can put some meat on those Bones, Hyland would be a long-term Sixth Man with more responsibility than he’d have in Denver.

Denver needs to capitalize on Nikola Jokic’s prime, as they will risk potentially wasting three MVP seasons in a row without getting to the Finals at a time when the West has been weaker than ever before. Giving up Hyland for a Raptors starter would be a bold move, but it might be the genesis of a win-win deal.