Trade Options For The Toronto Raptors
By Justin Rowan
The Toronto Raptors are unlikely to use both of their first-round picks in this year’s draft. Who are some possible targets for a trade?
The Toronto Raptors are entering what is likely the most important summer in franchise history.
Coming off a playoff run that saw the team make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, the team has to make decisions on DeMar DeRozan, Bismack Biyombo, James Johnson, Jason Thompson and Luis Scola.
According to Hoops Hype, the Raptors have just more than $79 million in salary committed to next season, with the cap hold of DeRozan (a $9.5 million player option).
Managing their assets in a way that prevents the team from having a ceiling that falls short of being a contender is of the utmost importance.
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General manager Masai Ujiri has made it clear that the team’s No. 1 priority is bringing back DeRozan next season.
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With his rumored contact between $25 million and $30 million a season, that alone would put the Raptors well over the projected salary cap before filling the holes in the roster left by the departures of Johnson, Biyombo and Thompson.
Despite this reality, there are routes that Ujiri can explore to help get his team to the next level.
The emergence of Norman Powell on the wing has helped make Terrence Ross an expendable contract for the team. The Raptors also possess both the ninth and 27th picks in the draft and can use those picks along with anybody on their roster to try and bring in a haul.
Ujiri has already indicated that he doesn’t want to use both of their picks, so a trade seems like the likely outcome on draft night.
The team also has young talent that can be added to a deal, such as Bruno Caboclo, Delon Wright, Lucas Nogueira and even Cory Joseph if the right situation came along. So with that in mind, let’s look at some of the targets that Toronto could pursue in a possible trade.
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