The Toronto Raptors have had a quietly great season. The team is currently sitting at second place in the Eastern conference and has, at times, looked like the team to beat. With the team looking like a real contender, Raptors’ management may be looking to give the team the extra push needed through a trade.
According to Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Toronto is looking to improve its power forward position. That is undeniably the biggest weakness on the team with Luis Scola and Patrick Patterson currently getting the bulk of the minutes at that spot. In fact, general manager Masai Ujiri recently proclaimed on NBA TV’s The Starters that he is indeed looking at options to improve the position whether through trades or free agency.
As ESPN reports, the Raptors are interested in several reportedly available power forwards across the league. Those forwards include Ryan Anderson, Kenneth Faried, Thaddeus Young, and the duo of Markieff Morris and PJ Tucker.
Ryan Anderson is a highly coveted player throughout the league, being the prototypical stretch four. He would fit in extremely well with the Raptors but the Pelicans’ price tag may be too high.
Kenneth Faried is a different type of player, with his skill-set mostly focused on rebounding and energy-based plays. I’m skeptical of the fit in Toronto as he provides no spacing for a team that needs it.
Morris and Tucker is another interesting opportunity. The Suns are probably eager to shop Morris who has been a head case all season and if Toronto is willing to give up anything of note, they should be willing to trade him. The Raptors, meanwhile, have to be absolutely certain that Morris’s positives are worth the negatives that may come attached with him.
The most likely scenario, however, seems to be the Raptors initiating a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. According to Randy Miller of NJ.com, there have indeed been discussions between the two teams and an offer has been made. While the report mentions center Brook Lopez as a potential target, the only trade scenario mentioned involves Thaddeus Young going to Toronto for a package including Patterson, rookie Delon Wright, and a first round pick originally belonging to the Knicks.
This trade may never happen and the validity of the rumor is unknown but on the surface it seems to make sense for both parties. The Raptors get a power forward who has quietly been very good this season and provides some shooting, rebounding, and defense. The Nets get a young player with potential and a potential lottery pick to continue gathering assets for a long rebuild.
The unlikelihood of this trade happening mostly stems from the Nets being at a crossroads. The team is still without a general manager after firing Billy King and head coach Lionel Hollins earlier this season. However, if ownership believes this is a great trade for them, I am sure they would not hesitate to pull the trigger.
The Raptors must only worry about team chemistry and trying to fix what is not broken. But in order to beat the Cavaliers and make a run to the Finals, they may need to take a calculated risk. This seems like the sort of move that could be worthwhile in order to get the extra spark needed to be a legitimate title contender.
