The Toronto Raptors won their way back to the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and are preparing for a showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers. At the same time, however, the season just ended for 10 NBA teams - including the Washington Wizards.
That means that former Raptors wing Justin Champagnie just played his last game of the season -- and his next could be in a Toronto uniform once more.
Justin Champagnie could be available
The Toronto Raptors signed Justin Champagnie to a two-way contract after he went undrafted in 2021. He parlayed that into a full deal the following season before bouncing around the league over the past few years, eventually landing with the Washington Wizards last year.
The 6'6" small forward was one of the bright spots last season for the Wizards, and that earned him a long-term contract heading into this year. While nothing materially changed about Champagnie's game, the overall disaster of a season that the Wizards went through didn't cover him in glory.
The 6'6" small forward is an elite rebounder for his size, averaging 10 rebounds per-36 minutes and crashing the glass on both ends. He has quick hands to generate steals, is strong enough to defend multiple positions, and is willing to take 3-pointers, even if his accuracy is inconsistent. The Wizards were 2.6 points per 100 better with Champagnie on the court this season.
The Wizards are in line to add more talent through the draft and will need to move on from some players this summer. Wizards expert John Canady at Wiz of Awes recently predicted which players would not be back with Washington next season -- and he believes that Champagnie is a top trade candidate.
The Raptors should trade for Champagnie
Toronto has an expensive core of players, with their entire starting lineup making at least $19.5 million next season and an average of $32.7 million per player. That's a lot of money committed to only five players, meaning the Raptors need to fill out their bench with players on bargain contracts.
That is where Champagnie can come in. He is still only 24 years old and brings a legitimate NBA skill, his rebounding, to go with average shooting and above-average defensive tools. And he does that while making just $2.6 million next season, less than the minimum to sign a veteran player in his spot. The following year he has a $3 million team option, giving his team even more flexibility.
The Raptors could use an inexpensive, useful player like Champagnie. Bringing the Brooklyn native back to Toronto would serve that purpose -- and it's not out of the question that he could take another step in Darko Rajakovic's system and become something more. Brian Keefe wasn't exactly getting the msot juice out of the oranges in Washington.
Is Champagnie a game-changing player? No, but the Raptors can't only go big game hunting. They need support players to maintain the core they have put together, and Champagnie could meet that need. With two second-round picks in this year's draft, the Raptors have the perfect opportunity to pull off a trade.