The Toronto Raptors have the entire NBA world on a knife edge right now, as they could change the balance of power overnight if they decided to trade away one of their big names. Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are still in Toronto, which could prompt a feeding frenzy.
The matter of Gary Trent Jr. has also yet to be resolved. While there were rumors in late June and early July that claimed Toronto was in the final stages of agreeing to an extension, no such deal has been signed in September. The status of those talks remains unclear.
The Raptors have been asked to rebuild by seemingly every corner of NBA Twitter, but Ujiri seems to be unwilling to abandon his current core. Even after losing Fred VanVleet, the Jakob Poeltl and Dennis Schroder signings appear to signal that he is happy with the current core.
Despite Ujiri’s outward-facing confidence, not everyone is so sure Toronto is done making moves before the offseason. ESPN’s Zach Lowe signaled that Toronto may pull off one more big caper before the season, specifically mentioning the lack of a Trent extension.
New Lowe Post podcast: @BobbyMarks42 and I catch up on all the biggest ongoing NBA storylines: Harden, Dame, recent Giannis comments, Ben Simmons/Nets, FIBA/Team USA, much more:
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) September 6, 2023
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NBA rumors: Will the Toronto Raptors make a move?
A Trent extension might be the most likely of those three aforementioned moves. Not only has Anunoby largely been taken off the market (perhaps due to teams not willing to meet Ujiri’s asking price), but the Raptors need a player like Trent who can stroke it from deep regularly locked up long-term.
Siakam has been mentioned as a trade candidate for seemingly the entirety of the last few seasons, and the Atlanta Hawks tried their best to make some inroads in that department. Unfortunately for them, an offer based around DeAndre Hunter and AJ Griffin doesn’t seem to have satisfied Toronto.
Anunoby has been targeted by teams like the Grizzlies and Warriors in the past, but Memphis’ refusal to give Toronto unprotected first-round picks and Golden State’s unwillingness to consider moving Jonathan Kuminga has led to stalled talks on both fronts.
MAKE WAY FOR GTJ 😤 pic.twitter.com/PMaspgzIJp
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 18, 2023
All that Raptors fans know for certain about the 2023-24 season is that Darko Rajakovic will try to feature Scottie Barnes prominently. Beyond that, nothing should surprise a fanbase that has seen all sorts of unusual things in the last few years.