If there’s one thing the Raptors can learn from the Knicks’ championship, it’s that guard play matters. Yes, the Knicks needed a star center like Karl-Anthony Towns, and they definitely wouldn’t be where they are without their collection of wings/ forwards, especially OG Anunoby. But, in the end, it was Jalen Brunson who delivered New York its first NBA championship since 1973 and first basketball title since the Liberty’s WNBA victory in 2024.
This Raptors team would be a very different team with someone like Jamal Murray or Donovan Mitchell as the starting point guard instead of Immanuel Quickley. Quickley is an obvious candidate to be moved in a trade for a star guard because of his salary and the fact that other teams might want to get a guard back alongside draft compensation.
Trading Quickley in for a star guard is intriguing and would make the Raptors better, barring any injuries, but it’s not a perfect solution. Moving their best guard to acquire a better guard does nothing to address the Raptors’ depth issues in the guard rotation. This is not to say that the Raptors shouldn’t trade Quickley for a star guard if the opportunity presents itself. It’s just acknowledging that the problem has another layer.
The Raptors need a star guard and better depth
Quickley’s injury left the Raptors with a very simple guard rotation for the playoffs: Jamal Shead played 32 minutes per game, Scottie Barnes mostly handled the playmaking when Shead was off the court, RJ Barrett pitched in as well, and A.J. Lawson saw 7.3 minutes per game off the bench.
The Raptors’ easiest option to improve the guard depth is to draft a guard with the nineteenth pick, but whoever they draft isn’t guaranteed to be a rotational player once the postseason comes around. Not every rookie makes as smooth a transition to the NBA as Murray-Boyles. It’s still a solid option, though, as the Raptors wouldn’t have to ask too much from a third guard in the rotation.
The best-case scenario would be trading for a star guard without involving Quickley in the deal to address both talent and depth issues. If they moved Brandon Ingram or RJ Barrett, Quickley could slot into the shooting guard spot next to whatever star guard would come in with Shead as a solid bench option behind them. Or Quickley could become a sixth man, like he was in New York.
However, improving the Raptors’ depth and talent in the guard rotation could be a long-term project. There is a world in which the Raptors don’t get a deal done for a star guard this offseason, either because none are available or because they don’t feel quite ready to make an all-in trade yet, and go into the 2026-27 season with a rotation of Quickley, Shead, maybe a rookie guard, maybe Lawson, and/or maybe a veteran free-agency pickup.
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