NBA rumors: Ideal Raptors free agent target will hit open market

The Toronto Raptors are dangling off a very precarious ledge right now, as more than half of their starting lineup will likely be free agents when the summer comes around. Losing one of either Fred VanVleet or the still deadly Gary Trent Jr. would be a nightmare for a team that already lacks shooting.

While Toronto will make an attempt to retain both of their standout guards long-term, the odds of them doing so and finding a way to avoid paying the dreaded luxury tax seems very hard to do. Masai Ujiri needs to consider potential alternatives if one of them bolts.

The ideal Trent replacement would be a player with years of postseason experience, an excellent 3-point shot, and the ability to pile up points without ball-hogging. The tumult surrounding the Atlanta Hawks might help one of those players hit the open market.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Bogdan Bogdanovic is expected to decline his $18 million player option and hit free agency. The Raptors may be free of both VanVleet and Trent’s contracts in the offseason, meaning that they could pivot to a veteran shooter like Bogdanovic as a replacement.

NBA rumors: Could Toronto Raptors target Bogdan Bogdanovic?

Bogdanovic, who will turn 31 in the offseason,  has averaged 15.4 points per game in his Hawks tenure while making almost exactly 40% of his 3-pointers. The fact that he’s been producing like that without getting a high volume of shots alongside ball-dominant players like Trae Young and Dejounte Murray is impressive.

Bogdanovic should be heralded for his ability to fill up the stat sheet without dominating the ball or requiring a huge diet of touches every game. A 6-6 guard with plenty of length, Bogdanovic could develop from a below-average defender into a wing force that teams must take seriously in the same style as Trent.

While it seems difficult to imagine that the Raptors will let both VanVleet and Trent go, the expected signing of Jakob Poeltl means that Toronto will be very hard-pressed to keep them together without dipping into the luxury tax.

A sign-and-trade should be pursued. However, if they are unable to find a match in this area, they should allocate the resources that would have gone into either VanVleet or Trent and throw it at a proven veteran like Bogdanovic.

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While he would not be a fundamental game-changer, Bogdanovic could carry legitimate Sixth Man of the Year potential on a contending team. Rather than shoving square pegs into round holes, adding Bogdanovic will help Toronto’s perimeter game finally start reaching that elite tier.