Grading a new trade proposal to bring Bayou All-Star to the Raptors

The Toronto Raptors hope they have assembled a core of young players ready to ascend in the Eastern Conference, but the chances that they have the pieces in place to be a contender is relatively unlikely.

The problem is that the Raptors' cap sheet is clogged for multiple seasons moving forward, and even if they had the cap room big-name free agents historically don't come to Toronto. They also are probably in the "dead zone" of being too good to get a top draft pick but not good enough to make noise in the playoffs.

That leaves the trade market. A number of small moves are available to them, such as trading Chris Boucher and a second-round pick for a buy-low opportunity for a bench player. If the Raptors want to swing for the fences and add another player to their core, however, the cost is going to be significant.

Who is the best player the Raptors can trade for?

If the Raptors don't want to mortgage the future including all of their draft picks in a trade, and they don't want to crack open their four-man core, can they find a trade for a difference-maker? Can the combination of Bruce Brown and Chris Boucher provide enough salary matching to find a player who moves the needle?

One recent trade proposal suggests that Toronto might just be able to thread the needle. Let's take a closer look and see which All-Star the Raptors could bring to town, and whether the cost is right to take a swing at a higher ceiling.