3 Untouchable Toronto Raptors players in trade talks

No. 3: Jonathan Mogbo

It's difficult to identify which other players on the Raptors roster would be truly untouchable in trade talks. RJ Barrett is a Toronto native who played brilliantly down the stretch, so the odds of him being moved are slim, but there is at least an argument to be made for a "sell high" approach. Jakob Poeltl is a prime trade candidate given his age and limitations, even if the Raptors likely value him more highly than the rest of the league. Gradey Dick and Ja'Kobe Walter are a part of the team's future, but if a star came available they would be the natural sweeteners.

That brings us to an unlikely name for the third and final "untouchable" slot, and that is rookie second-round pick Jonathan Mogbo. A journeyman college career saw him play at four different schools, finally breaking out at San Francisco last year. He enters the league as an old 22-year-old rookie, hardly the stuff of untouchable prospects.

There are two reasons why Mogbo should be considered untouchable. The first is that the Raptors used the 31st overall pick on him, passing on highly-rated talents such as Kyle Filipowski and Tyler Kolek to do so. They clearly value him highly, but because he hasn't yet played a game, his value around the league is much lower -- at least for now. Mogbo needs to prove he can play before the league's view of him as part of a trade package ascends back close to how the Raptors see him.

The other reason is more uncomfortable but no less legitimate, and that's because Jonathan Mogbo was a childhood friend of Scottie Barnes, and the two remain extremely close. Barnes was present with Mogbo when he received the news that he had been drafted on the second night of the draft. Mogbo may have been drafted because the Raptors had him first on their board, but it's hard to conclude that there wasn't some aspect of making their star forward happy.

The Raptors are hardly going to wave goodbye to Mogbo so soon given his connection to Barnes. He will at least get a fair NBA shot in Toronto before anything happens. Functionally, while Mogbo is not a present or future star, he is not going to be traded anytime soon.