The Toronto Raptors need a Canadien savior to swoop in and take this team from scrappy playoff squad to NBA Finals contender. And Jamal Murray is just the guy for the job.
Scottie Barnes is the real deal. He is one of the league's most versatile and impactful defenders, defending the rim, roaming the paint, leaping into passing lanes and locking down the perimeter. He will be in contention for All-Defense teams for the next decade.
He is also a gifted offensive player, a point forward who can create shots for himself and others. As a non-shooting forward, however, he is not among the league's very best offensive players.
Toronto needs someone else
Toronto will need one of those to take the next step. Barnes and company were enough to take the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games this season as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. In the end, however, Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett didn't have the juice to be the offensive wingmen that Barnes needed.
He needs a co-star, an offensive powerhouse who can attack defenses and create advantages. If Barnes and rookie phenom Colin Murray-Boyles are going to set a high defensive floor, then the team needs someone to do the same on offense.
RJ Barrett certainly had a standout moment for the Raptors with his bouncing buzzer beater, but he is a support player, not an offensive fulcrum. Immanuel Quickley plays well off of other stars, but he's not the guy. Brandon Ingram is wildly overrated and needs to be traded for the Raptors to raise their ceiling.
Enter Jamal Murray.
Jamal Murray would be perfect
The Canada native has developed into the perfect co-star for three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, and this past season he had his best year ever, averaging 25 points, four rebounds and seven assists, making his first-ever All-NBA team.
Yet the Nuggets were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, losing to a short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves team. Something isn't working with their roster, whether it's age or fit or health. Denver will be exploring changes this offseason.
Could one of those changes by trading Jamal Murray? It seems unrealistic, until you consider that Denver Nuggets President Josh Kroenke told the media that "everything is on the table" to improve the team, and that Nikola Jokic was the only untouchable player on the roster.
The Raptors could build a trade around Brandon Ingram and multiple first-round picks. Perhaps it even expands to include Immanuel Quickley going to Denver and Christian Braun coming back to Toronto. Would Ja'Kobe Walter make sense as a sweetener?
Murray and Barnes would have an elite two-man game, with either capable of handling the ball with the other screening. Murray's shotmaking could eviscerate defenses trying to defend him in isolation while the paint is packed. Stopping both Murray and Barnes would be a difficult task.
It would be expensive, and figuring out the salaries would be a very real hurdle. Even so, Jamal Murray is the exact player this team needs to take the next step to the NBA Finals.
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