Are The Toronto Raptors Really Interested In David Lee?

There have been many trade rumors linked to the Toronto Raptors recently and one player continues to pop up: David Lee.

The trade winds are officially in full effect.

This season’s trade deadline is less than two weeks away and for most contending teams, it’s the time to take a gamble in hopes of boosting your chances of finding success in the playoffs.

That certainly applies for the Toronto Raptors this season and with the team linked to many trade rumors (like Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker of the Phoenix Suns) recently, a possible upgrade could be in store for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

Yet, there’s one surprising player that has and continues to be linked with the Raptors this trade season and that player is David Lee.

After being traded to the Boston Celtics this past offseason, Lee has long been the subject of trade rumors this year and after recently losing his regular spot in the team’s rotation, the Celtics are keen on moving him, according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck.

Whether he gets moved by the deadline or bought out obviously remains to be seen, but where the Raptors come into all of this is courtesy of another NBA insider, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

During Kyler’s weekly NBA rumors chat this week, a Raptors fan asked Kyler if the team intended on making a move within the next two weeks and here was his response:

"“They have a good thing going, so not likely to mess with it drastically, but if the right power forward comes their way, maybe. I think its more likely they wait and see if David Lee gets a buy out. I have been told there is mutual interest. Not sure the Raptors can trade for him without giving up something real because of his salary, but if he gets bought out… very possible.”"

Interesting that Kyler also brings up a possible buyout scenario for Lee and that seems like the best possible way if the Raptors were to acquire Lee, given both the team’s current salary cap situation and Lee’s sizeable salary.

However, when getting down to it, the thought of Toronto being interested in Lee in the first place seems pretty peculiar.

That’s not questioning the reporting of both Beck and Kyler by any means, but given that Lee has now fallen out of his team’s rotation (last year being with the Golden State Warriors, of course) for the second straight year, what could he have left to offer to a team like the Raptors?

More from Toronto Raptors

• NBA Trades: 10 Pascal Siakam deals the Raptors must consider
• Grade the Trade: Warriors become title-favs in proposed deal with Raptors
• NBA Trades: Memphis bolsters their roster in this deal with Toronto
• NBA Trades: This Pelicans-Raptors deal would send a star to the Big Easy
• 3 NBA teams facing do-or-die 2023–2024 seasons

Toronto’s second unit production has had its fair share of consistency issues this season and that’s where Lee would theoretically make his biggest impact as he’s been an efficient scorer (Lee’s a 53 percent career shooter from the field) throughout his 11-year career.

However, even when considering the team’s long-term question mark at the power forward spot, Lee’s not a solution nor is he a better alternative to what the team has already.

While limited in their respective ways, the current combination of Luis Scola and Patrick Patterson have collectively made a solid impact for the Raptors, both offensively and defensively.

Additionally, the team’s resurgence on the defensive end (the Raptors are currently ranked ninth with a 103.5 defensive rating per 100 possessions, per Basketball-Reference.com) could be compromised by just adding Lee on to the squad, given his many flaws on that end.

It’s no secret the Raptors are trying to making a deep playoff run and they do have the assets to make a deal for a difference maker, but Lee is far from that guy at this point.

More hoops habit: NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Landing Spots For P.J. Tucker

There is something in wanting to keep the team’s chemistry intact and Lee has historically been a great teammate, but acquiring him in whatever possible way doesn’t really move the needle for the Raptors.

Of course, anything can still happen and with the Raptors emerging as one of the more active teams ahead of the deadline, it’s possible a better move could come their way and we’ll see how serious these David Lee rumors are.