Raptors trade rumors: 3 Western Conference guards to target

2. D’Angelo Russell, Minnesota Timberwolves

Russell, like VanVleet, is a free agent at the end of this season. Suppose the Raptors want to pull off a similar deal to the Norman Powell swap a few years ago. In that case, they could add a player like Russell, who can be as effective offensively while not being as financially burdensome for this front office.

Since the start of the 2019 season, Russell has averaged 19.8 points and 6.6 assists per game. He’s topping 17 points per game on 46% shooting under former Raptors assistant Chris Finch, who runs a very similar offense. Russell will get paid, but it won’t be $130 million in four years like Fred VanVleet might be eyeing.

The Toronto Raptors would do well to add D’Angelo Russell.

Russell and VanVleet are nowhere close in terms of how impactful they are as defenders, which will likely factor into Toronto’s evaluation of him as a player and impact his contract in free agency. However, Russell makes sense if they want a pure kick in the rear end in their half-court offense.

VanVleet, who doesn’t need a ton of shots to impact the game, can join a talented Minnesota team learning how to win consistently. The Timberwolves could send away Russell to the Raptors, giving Toronto a lethal creative force with the shooting needed to impact this team.