The Toronto Raptors have been carefully linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo, though he isn’t the one participant that Toronto may add this summer season.
The Toronto Raptors, after buying and selling away a lot of their 2019 championship core, are on the way in which up. Constructed on the backs of a stable, well-rounded younger core, the Raptors appear to be on the verge of competing for the subsequent a number of seasons, though staff president Masai Ujiri may not have the ability to assist himself.
Ujiri and the Raptors have lengthy been inquisitive about including Giannis Antetokounmpo, and their curiosity has seemingly come to a head.
“The Raptors are a staff that’s beginning to make noise throughout the league about searching for a giant fish,” mentioned ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Who else may that imply except for Giannis? Whereas it’s clear that he’s possible their favourite choice, the Raptors are able the place they will make a number of totally different strikes.
Listed here are three missed “large fish” they might add this summer season.
Kevin Durant is injury-prone and solely has one season left on his contract, so the Raptors will not be assured to get multiple season out of him.
For Ujiri, that’s no drawback. He traded DeMar DeRozan and draft capital to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard in 2018, ensuing within the franchise’s lone title.
Including Durant could possibly be a really comparable transfer.
Full Mock Commerce Particulars:
- Raptors obtain: Kevin Durant
- Suns obtain: RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, 2026 first-round decide, 2028 first-round decide
The Phoenix Suns get a younger guard, a rim protector, and two unprotected picks, which is as a lot as potential for one yr of Durant.
The Raptors, in the meantime, would both draft a rim-protector ninth total or signal Brook Lopez or Clint Capela.
Toronto would trot out an outsized beginning 5 of Immanuel Quickley, Durant, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and a middle (TBD), with loads of younger wings coming off the bench.
The Raptors would possibly solely have one shot to win a title, however in a wide-open Jap Convention, now can be the time to make a transfer, equally to how they pulled the set off when LeBron James moved West.
Barnes is without doubt one of the higher defenders within the league, and including a high-level rebounder and rim protector within the frontcourt subsequent to him would make the Raptors a pressure to be reckoned with.
In contrast to Durant, Jarrett Allen has 4 seasons left on his contract, making him a long-term fixture in the event that they had been to commerce for him.
After a second-round exit by the hands of the Indiana Pacers, the Cleveland Cavaliers may not be content material on working issues again with the identical roster, and opening up the paint just a little for Evan Mobley to really blossom needs to be a precedence.
Full Mock Commerce Particulars:
- Raptors obtain: Jarrett Allen
- Cavaliers obtain: Ochai Agbaji, Jakob Poeltl, 2026 first-round decide, 2028 first-round decide
On this deal, the Raptors enhance their beginning unit, and Barnes and Allen can be surrounded by stable shooters like Barrett, Quickley, and Ingram.
In the meantime, Cleveland provides a stable backup in Poeltl behind Mobley, and, with Agbaji being on an expiring contract, would get monetary savings down the stretch.
Whereas the Cavs lose one of the best participant on this commerce, they might elevate their wing rotation by taking a non-shooting large in Allen out of their rotation, and get some draft capital again to flip for an additional win-now participant down the highway.
The Raptors have a stable wing in Ingram, ball-handlers in Barrett and Quickley, a defensive-minded heart in Poeltl, and a do-all ahead in Barnes. Including one of the best scorer within the NBA Draft looks like a straightforward selection for them to make.
The one problem is that Tre Johnson is not going to be on the board when the Raptors decide ninth total. By then, they might choose Kon Knueppel, Nique Clifford, or Kasparas Jakučionis, however these gamers all have clear weaknesses.
If Knueppel is on the board, that wouldn’t be a nasty choice, though Johnson has one of the best offensive upside of anybody within the class.
Johnson can rating off the dribble or as a stationary catch-and-shoot risk. When he will get the ball in his arms, he’s going to shoot it, and the Raptors have loads of facilitators to get him open.
After all, Toronto must commerce up, however groups just like the Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs may need curiosity in making a deal, provided that they have already got a core of gamers in place.
Including Johnson would possible knock Barrett to the second unit, permitting the Raptors to construct some depth and make a transfer to be a long-term winner, not only a one-season flash within the pan like including Durant would create.
