The Toronto Raptors appear to be gunning for yet another postseason charge this season, as Masai Ujiri chose not to tear this roster apart and instead spend money to reinforce some of their shortcomings. Despite a 41-41 record last year, Ujiri is expecting wins and major improvements.
The Raptors decided to trade control of their first-round pick in 2024 to the San Antonio Spurs to acquire Jakob Poeltl. Unless that pick lands in the top six, the selection will be conveyed to San Antonio. If the Raptors don’t make the playoffs, they will have blown a chance to use a lottery pick.
Ujiri and the rest of the front office have been resistant to completely blowing the roster up, as the Raptors have refused multiple franchise-altering trades. While the organization believes in its players and what Rajakovic could do with this group, contingency plans need to be made.
If the Raptors start to lean into one of these three movements at any point in the 2023-24 season, this could signal that Toronto has decided to abandon any chance of making the postseason. The rebuild can finally begin in earnest after a few years of mediocre production.
3 ways the Toronto Raptors could tank in 2023.
3. Starting Scottie Barnes at point guard
This is a strange one, as Barnes will likely be the starting point guard anyway in a move that makes all the sense in the world. Barnes should have the ball placed in his hands while FIBA World Cup star Dennis Schroder goes to the bench to become the team’s Sixth Man.
Why is this included here? Well, this is truly a win-win situation. Even if the Raptors are struggling, they can let Barnes experiment at the point guard, albeit with a much longer leash. If the future is all about Barnes, a Raptors team that is out of the playoff picture needs to let Scottie figure out what he can and can’t do.
Scottie Barnes must be empowered by the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors drafted Barnes to be a facilitator and scorer in equal parts, and the Raptors need to ensure he can fulfill those goals no matter what the team’s record ends up as. If the team starts falling off the face of the Earth, yet Barnes starts to come into his own, Toronto should take that trade-off.
Barnes has shown plenty of positives in his tenure with the Raptors, but his true offensive potential (thanks partially to Nick Nurse and his half-court offense) remains unknown. The only way to find out what he can do is to lean in and let him cook.
2. Looking to shop Gary Trent Jr. at the trade deadline
Trent has been one of the more underrated guards in the league over the last two years, as his scoring ability and penchant for getting hot with such ease made him someone who gave a stagnant offense some juice. Unfortunately, Trent’s career in Toronto might not last longer despite him picking up his player option.
Trent, like OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, could hit the open market as a free agent after the season. Even though Trent has proven his worth both in the league and as a member of the Raptors specifically, he is clearly third in the pecking order behind those two Ujiri draft picks.
Will the Toronto Raptors trade Gary Trent Jr.?
In a league that saw the Bucks trade five second-round picks for a player who didn’t even contribute to the team very much in Jae Crowder, the Raptors would be able to get multiple quality assets, including what would likely be a first-round pick, in exchange for Trent.
While getting rid of Fred VanVleet will have some ancillary benefits, Ujiri was rightfully ripped for not trading him and getting nothing in return for him. If Toronto wants to tank, he shouldn’t make the same mistake once again with Trent.
1. Trading Pascal Siakam
Toronto appears to have shut down any sort of Siakam talk in the last few weeks, as the Hawks’ offer of DeAndre Hunter, AJ Griffin, and picks have been viewed as inadequate value. This offer also hasn’t been topped by any team who wants to add a game-changing forward.
If things go horribly and Bobby Webster is forced to start selling, moving off Siakam seems to be the best way to recoup any positive assets before he potentially bolts in free agency. The decision would need to be made early, as a full season of Siakam will help Toronto pile up the wins.
Would the Toronto Raptors ditch Pascal Siakam?
The Raptors will insist on a package greater than the Hunter-Griffin mess Atlanta keeps insisting on, and they might have their desires the longer this saga goes on. The Raptors will likely look around the league to find desperate teams who want to add a co-star for a title run.
Siakam is likely staying in Toronto this season, but no crazy trade should be ruled out if the Rajakovic hire and increased responsibility for Barnes are truly the predecessors to an on-the-fly rebuild.