In the eternal tug-of-war between the segments of the Toronto Raptors fanbase who want to sell top players to rebuild and the side who wants to go for it with win-now moves, the sellers appear to be winning. Loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets illustrated just how far this team is from contention.
With a roster that lacks shooting on their best days and is now forcing their star players to press, Masai Ujiri may need to consider making a trade finally. Siakam and Anunoby, should they somehow end up on the market, would unquestionably fetch a pretty penny for the Raptors.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the rest of the league is once again watching the Raptors with bated breath in anticipation of the direction they choose to go in next. If they start selling, teams around the league seem ready to part with some serious capital.
In a conversation with Blake Murphy, Charania said the rest of the league has "their eye on" multiple key Raptors players. Not that this needed to be said out loud, but Charania also confirmed that there is a tacit understanding Scottie Barnes is not for sale.
"scottie barnes is the one guy you can say right now he's not going anywhere... beyond that, sure, teams have their eye on [guys] across this roster."@ShamsCharania on how other nba teams view the raptors' personnel as the season moves along with @BlakeMurphyODC pic.twitter.com/1BHpkZ1k5U
— The Raptors Show (@TheRaptorsShow) November 28, 2023
More Raptors news
- Orlando Magic fans are rightfully furious with the Raptors. Due to the In-Season Tournament's rules on point differential and many quirky tiebreakers, a Nets win eliminated the Magic and sent the Boston Celtics through to the next round. A Toronto win would have sent Orlando through.
- Raptors rookie Gradey Dick, recently demoted to the G League, is trying to stay positive amid some early struggles. "It's been a whirlwind. There's a lot going on," Dick said. "I go back to taking advice from my family and the people in my corner of just keeping my head down, my head on my shoulders and not letting the business get to me.
NBA news
- The Milwaukee Bucks will face off against the New York Knicks in the next round of the In-Season Tournament alongside the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. In the West, a Los Angeles Lakers/Phoenix Suns matchup will be twinned with the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans battling.
- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, long known as one of the most hands-on owners in the league, is selling a majority stake in the franchise worth $3.5 billion to casino magnate Miriam Adelson. In an unusual switch-up, Cuban will retain control over basketball operations after the sale.