NBA rumors: Raptors "open for business" as trade deadline fire sale looms
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors will be prioritizing long-term development of their young players over stacking wins in the next few months, as the trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby took them fully out of competitive mode as they move towards a full-scale rebuild.
The roster Toronto is sending out every night is going to look much different from what the Raptors will lean on in 2024 and beyond. Masai Ujiri even hinted that more changes could be coming before the trade deadline in February in a press conference.
Scottie Barnes needs to become more comfortable as a primary option, and Gradey Dick needs to show he belongs in the NBA. In order to give them enough rope to accomplish those goals and get more young players to surround them with, the Raptors may get back on the phones with other teams.
According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN, the Raptors are "open for business" ahead of the trade deadline. Only Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and RJ Barrett are considered to be untouchable. Veterans like Chris Boucher, Bruce Brown, Jakob Poeltl, Dennis Schroder, and Gary Trent Jr. all have nonzero chances of getting moved.
Raptors open for business and everyone except Barnes, Quickley and Barrett is on the table ; per @JLew1050
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) January 26, 2024
“If they can turn any of their vets – Trent, Dennis Schroder, Chris Boucher, the newly acquired Bruce Brown or perhaps even Poeltl – into picks or prospects that would… pic.twitter.com/RdtTsRHm6W
NBA Rumors: Toronto Raptors" open for business" on veterans trades
It seems unlikely that both Brown and Trent will stay on the Raptors after the deadline. Between the bidding war for Brown's services and Trent's free agency coming down the road, the Raptors could theoretically unload one of them and give their minutes to Dick.
Boucher is one of the last remnants of the championship team, but it isn't doing Toronto much good to just leave him wasting away on the bench. Perhaps a team out there would be willing to flip a player and a pick of some value to grab a high-energy big man off the bench.
Schroder and Poeltl seem like the least likely of the three to be traded, possibly due to the former's close relationship with head coach Darko Rajakovic and the latter's salary. However, one can't rule anything out at this point, especially with teams like the Lakers hot in pursuit of Schroder.
The Raptors' future is still very much in flux, as it is hard to make predictions about a team that is not going to be together as currently constructed for very long. More trades could be coming, as these veterans are not being maximized wasting away on a Raptors team that isn't winning anything anytime soon.
manual