This Raptors-Blazers trade sends OG Anunoby to Portland for a rising star

The Toronto Raptors are going to be connected to many of the hottest names on the traded market, with the need to improve immediately becoming a necessity. OG Anunoby has been thrown back in the rumor mill, as Toronto is likely going to look for ways to recoup draft picks.

Toronto might need to get the Portland Trail Blazers back on the horn. With Damian Lillard giving his firmest indication yet that he is looking to win now, the Blazers might be willing to give up some of their draft capital in order to pursue a more immediate fix in the starting lineup.

Anunoby is the type of player who could thrive alongside Lillard due to his excellent on-ball defense and tremendous catch-and-shoot results from 3-point range. However, the Blazers would need to go all-in on OG and prove that they are not going to waste another year of Lillard’s career.

The Raptors should prioritize young guard Anfernee Simons in these trade talks. While that is a difficult prize to extort out of Portland, one of Bleacher Report’s bold trades that must happen in the offseason created a scenario where the Raptors would end up landing a premier offensive talent.

This Toronto Raptors trade sends OG Anunoby to the Blazers

Moving Anunoby and Achiuwa would take a major bite out of Toronto’s defensive skills, but it is painfully clear that this team needs to upgrade their offense in the worst way possible. Simons would certainly do that, giving them a long-term option in the backcourt with a higher ceiling than Gary Trent Jr. or Fred VanVleet.

Simons has averaged 17.3 and 21.1 points per game over the last two seasons, nailing 39% of his 3-pointers with incredibly high volume along the way. The Blazers may not be all-in on a Lillard-Simons backcourt, but the Raptors would be over the moon if one of these players managed to fall to them.

Simons’ contract approaches nine figures, but using that money on a guard that is just entering his prime might be a much wiser allocation of resources than spending all that scratch on an aging player who is likely going to exit his prime in Fred VanVleet. Simons on the perimeter would give the Raptors the scoring punch they need.

Acquiring either a late first-round pick this season or a potentially desirable 2026 selection will allow Toronto to find an Achiuwa replacement on the cheap right before he has to get paid.