The Toronto Raptors are now a rebuilding team.
The Raptors held on for much longer than many thought that they should, watching Serge Ibaka, Marc Gasol, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green all walk out of the door, then losing Kyle Lowry for close to nothing and Fred VanVleet for absolutely nothing.
This season they finally faced the music and embraced something akin to a rebuild, trading two-way veterans OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. They didn't move them for massive draft hauls, however, instead largely prioritizing adding talent that could help them continue to win.
Yet they unquestionably got worse after the trades, and they weren't necessarily lighting up the league prior to the deals. Scottie Barnes became an All-Star this year, but now that he is out indefinitely with a fractured hand their season is largely over. And their focus thus must shift even more significantly to the offseason.
The Raptors could trade more veterans this summer
The Raptors appear to want to build a new core of players around Barnes, with Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick forming a new group to start from. There are other veterans on the roster, however, who could be on the move this summer for the right price.
What sort of trade could be out there for Toronto to consider this summer? Looking around the league, there are plenty of teams in win-now mode who would pay up for proven veterans. Let's look at one deal recently proposed that would see the Raptors work with their 2019 Finals foes.
What sort of trade could they make with the Golden State Warriors? And would it be worth considering?
What's the trade?
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently published a collection of five trades that could go down this summer, evaluating why each team involved would make such a deal. One of those trades involved the Raptors and Warriors joining together for a five-player trade.
The Raptors have been collecting Canadien players this season, intentionally or not, and this trade idea leans into that theme by sending former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins home to Canada. Toronto would also get a future first and a pair of solid vets in Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II. In return, the Warriors would get Bruce Brown and Jakob Poeltl to bolster their rotation for another run before Stephen Curry ages out of his prime.
Here is what the deal looks like, as proposed by Bleacher Report:
Jakob Poeltl would give the Warriors a center with true size on the back line, something they haven't had since Andrew Bogut (James Wiseman's failed tenure notwithstanding). Bruce Brown is the kind of playmaking wing the Warriors have loved having, in the mold of Andre Iguodala, and would give them the defense of Gary Payton II while bringing more versatility on offense.
This doesn't seem like the kind of trade the Warriors would make, as they have historically spent little on the center position (again, Wiseman expected) and have a number of players who fill a similar role to Brown. Yet as Stephen Curry's window closes, perhaps they start to consider atypical moves to maximize the rest of his prime.
If the Warriors are ready to make this deal, should the Raptors say yes?
Grade the Trade: Would Raptors reject this deal?
We'll start with the positives, because they are brief. This trade would add a first-round pick to the Raptors' coffers as they look to rebuild their team, and they could flip Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II for a handful of second-round picks. Andrew Wiggins is much better than he has shown this season and his shooting could be a good complement to Scottie Barnes as they make an exceptional defensive tandem in the frontcourt.
Now for the negatives: the Raptors get fleeced in this trade. Even if the Raptors do believe that Wiggins will bounce back, this season he has been a sub-replacement player and is under contract for another three seasons; he will make $30 million in 2026-27. Perhaps he gets back to deserving that salary, but Wiggins' contract is currently a negative value in a trade. Looney and Payton are not much help to the Raptors if they are not trying to win next season.
Jakob Poeltl is not having an All-Defense season but he is an incredibly solid rim protector, and he is a classic rim-runner on offense with underrated passing ability. Bruce Brown is not worth his $23 million salary for next season, but if he has negative trade value the Raptors will simply decline his team option and let him walk.
That's hardly the situation where Toronto has to take on a bad contract like Andrew Wiggins and in return get a mediocre first-round pick and two players who won't matter to the next good Raptors team. This is a trade where the salaries match, and plays off of a supposed sentimentality in the Raptors' front office to bring home Canadiens, but in the end would be a disaster for the Raptors to make.
Grade: D