Grade the Trade pitch: Raptors roll the dice on Ball brother in surprising new deal

The Toronto Raptors are trying to build a cohesive roster that fits together like a puzzle, each piece snapping perfectly into place to present the most beautiful - that is, two-way dominant - rotation possible.

That's a difficult task for any NBA team, but when it happens a team can truly take off. The Denver Nuggets managed such a feat and won the title; the Oklahoma City Thunder appear to have done it and are set up for success for years to come. Can the Raptors find their way to such a group?

To do so, they may need to be comfortable with taking risks -- they don't have the luxury of the best player in the world like the Nuggets, nor are they laden with draft picks like the Thunder were. Instead, their path to improving the roster may come via trade, and trying to buy low on a player who, if he hits, could be an excellent fit on the Raptors.

Do the Raptors have the stomach for a risky trade?

Are they comfortable rolling the dice? Not every team is; some teams take the safe move every time. Others are reckless, taking low-percentage swings at a home run that usually end in strikeouts. The Raptors have generally been conservative, but the big risk they did take in trading for Kawhi Leonard turned into a championship.

Could they take another risk on an injury-prone player? That's the question raised by Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report when he suggested that Toronto target Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls. Could such a trade make sense? Let's look closer at the details.