Raptors should target multiple Blazers players before impending Portland retool

Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors may have had it rough this season after taking a step back, but they can take solace in the fact that they are having a better season than the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference. Damian Lillard is averaging over 32 points per game, yet this team is in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.

Just like Toronto, Portland looks poised to shake things up in the offseason. With Lillard likely being sat out for the remainder of the season due to injuries and Chauncey Billups on even thinner ice than Nick Nurse, there is a good chance that the Blazers will remake their roster. Perhaps the Raptors can help them out.

When the Blazers were in a more win-now mode, they were at the forefront of the OG Anunoby offseason trade discourse. While the Raptors might need to call up Joe Cronin and see if he is still interested, Portland might be angling themselves in a different direction. Nevertheless, Toronto should get on the phone.

There is a good chance that the Blazers hit the reset button by offloading some of their more experienced talents and letting potential free agents leave town. Even if they don’t fully embrace a tank, a retool may be in order. With Toronto potentially in danger of losing some big names in free agency, replenishing the talent pool through Portland could be worthwhile.

The Toronto Raptors must take players from the Portland Trail Blazers.

Grabbing Lillard would be a dream come true, but the Raptors may not have the financial wiggle room or the assets needed to entice Portland to give him up. A Fred VanVleet-led sign-and-trade package could be attractive, but that will need to be revisited much later depending on how many factors shake out.

As for non-LIllard trade targets, two young players that make a ton of sense for Toronto to target are native Canadian Shaedon Sharpe and wing Nassir Little. The former is one of the best athletes in the league, yet remains firmly behind Lillard and Anfernee Simons on the depth chart. The latter is an Ujiri-esque defensive stopper and rim-runner on the wing.

Two players that make a lot of sense for Toronto to target in free agency (provided that one of VanVleet or Trent is gone) are Jerami Grant and Cam Reddish. Grant is a 20-per-game scorer that looks exactly like the type of player Ujiri has fawned over in the past, while Reddish is a former first-round pick that could be an interesting bench addition.

The Blazers’ time in the spotlight might be coming to an end, which may bring Toronto an unexpected offseason windfall.