The Toronto Raptors are in a unique position with veteran big man Chris Boucher. They don't particularly need him this season -- he is quickly declining as a player and coming off of a major injury, and the Raptors are not pushing for every possible win to need to keep him on the roster for depth.
Given that Boucher makes $10.8 million this season, Toronto can use his salary in a trade to bring back someone who does help them, either in winning games right now or in building a team for the future. If we assume they are aiming for the former, trying to add players who can help them compete, Boucher represents a path to that help.
If the Raptors were to attach a second-round pick or two to Boucher's deal, what undervalued players around the NBA are potentially available via trade? Can Toronto find a bargain on the trade market and turn Boucher from unreliable backup big into something more useful?
Let's look at five players who fit within the salary-matching window of Boucher's contract and discuss how they would help the Raptors.
No. 5: Robert Williams III
Two seasons ago, Robert Williams III was the best defensive player on a Boston Celtics team that reached the NBA Finals. His ability to lock down the rim but also switch onto the perimeter or close out on corner shooters to challenge shots was truly special, and add in his lob-finishing and rebounding he was an extremely valuable center.
Then the injuries which plagued him during the early years of his career essentially cost him the past two seasons, and his value is at an all-time low. He is now on a Portland Trail Blazers team with four viable centers that will need to trade at least one of them not to compeltely mismanage their trade value. That opens up a window of opportunity for the Raptors.
Williams makes a few million more than Boucher, which is no problem for a Raptors team well under the luxury tax and saves the Blazers a bit of money. Could Boucher's expiring contract plus two seconds be enough for Portland? Perhaps not, but if it is, the Raptors could take a risky but high-upside bet on Williams being a difference-maker for them if he can get healthy.
No. 4: Grant Williams
Grant Williams did not work out in Dallas and as such his value is much lower than it should be given his ability and versatility. Similarly to Robert Williams, Grant is not that far removed from being a key rotation player for a really good Boston Celtics team. Unlike Robert, Grant doesn't have a track record of injury.
The Charlotte Hornets don't particularly need Grant Williams given that they have a number of other forwards in Miles Bridges, Cody Martin and rookie lottery pick Tidjane Salaun. His versatility as a forward who can defend other forwards but also have the strength to check centers is valuable, and he and Scottie Barnes could play together in a smaller lineup that can still protect the rim but also space the court. He is an ideal buy-low candidate and the Raptors could use the depth at forward.
No. 3: Jock Landale
The Houston Rockets overpaid Jock Landale on purpose last summer to add salary they can use in a trade, but just because he is slightly overpaid doesn't mean he isn't a valuable player. A stalward of the Australian men's basketball team, Landale is a steady offense-first hand at center who could be a reliable option at backup center for the Raptors.
Landale has incredible touch around the basket and old-school footwork; add in creative passing and he is the kind of offensive player who caps your ceiling if you feed him 25 shots per game, but in a smaller role off the bench can bash smaller backups and put in an efficient 10 and 6. The Raptors could use a player like that, and Boucher and a second essentially increases the Rockets' trade-matching salary and adds an asset for a player who won't see the court ahead of Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams and Jabari Smith Jr.
No. 2: Dean Wade
The Cleveland Cavaliers don't seem to realize what they have in Dean Wade.
While they continue to bash their head into the wall offensively by forcing two non-shooting centers in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley into the starting lineup, year after year their most successful units involve Dean Wade playing power forward beside either Allen or Mobley. With both bigs agreeing to contract extensions this summer, the Cavaliers are committed to playing them both again this season.
That could make Wade gettable on the trade market. Cleveland is currently over the luxury tax, so finding a way to get under will almost certainly be on the docket for this league year. Given Wade's penchant for getting a nagging injury each year, it's not surprising that they would move off of him, but his value as a connective piece would be a steal for the Raptors. Wade is making enough that the Raptors could even take him into their Mid-Level Exception without moving Boucher.
No. 1: Kevin Huerter
The Toronto Raptors are trying to upgrade their shooting, and long-term they hope that Gradey Dick and Ja'Kobe Walter can both be knockdown options who build that into a strength. Another pathway is to add a veteran shooter with a long track record of hitting perimeter shots, someone like Kevin Huerter.
The man whose fiery-red hair translates into his heat-check 3-pointers is a true marksman and movement shooter, but he has fallen out of favor in Sacramento because their key players are all mediocre-or-worse defenders, so the Kings have to prioritize perimeter defense at the shooting guard position. The Raptors, with Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl excellent defenders in the frontcourt and Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett both solid, can afford less of a defender on the wing in exchange for sharpshooting.
If Sacramento traded Huerter to the Raptors for Chris Boucher and a second-round pick (perhaps two), they would get off of $6 million of salary for this season, opening up breathing room for another move by the trade deadline, and they would be free of his entire $17 million salary for next season. That may be enough to entice them to the table, and it makes Kevin Huerter our fifth and final bargain trade target for the Toronto Raptors.