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5 Game-Changing Trades The Toronto Raptors Should Make

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 4, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Serge Ibaka (7) boxes out Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 113-86. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Orlando Magic forward Serge Ibaka (7) boxes out Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 113-86. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Toronto Raptors
Mar 14, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (7) and Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) react differently to a call at Air Canada Centre. The Bulls beat the Raptors 109-107. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Taj Gibson

Okay, so maybe “game-changing” wouldn’t be the most accurate way to describe a Taj Gibson trade, but the Raptors need to do something to re-establish their footing in the East. If they’re hesitant to surrender actual assets to acquire other aging stars, Gibson is a lower-cost option who could fill this team’s needs at the 4.

Averaging 11.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game, Gibson can score on the block, shoot from the midrange and help improve Toronto’s 17th-ranked defense.

Though the Chicago Bulls are currently a playoff team at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference standings, their season has underwhelmed, they’ve got a losing record and a roster blow-up feels imminent — especially in Gibson’s case, since he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Even if the Bulls don’t opt for a full-scale rebuild, they probably don’t have much interest in overpaying to keep a 31-year-old veteran with so many young frontcourt players waiting for minutes. If another team offered a young player or first round pick for Gibson, it’d be hard for Chicago to turn down a deal like that.

Jared Sullinger is hardly an attractive trade asset, averaging just 3.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in his lone 11 appearances for Toronto this season. But he’d just be included for salary-matching purposes, with point guard Fred VanVleet and a 2017 first round pick being the true prizes.

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VanVleet is averaging 2.9 points in 6.9 minutes per game and has only appeared in 21 games for the Raptors, but he’s a 22-year-old prospect who put up a 10-point performance and a 15-point outing just last week. With Rajon Rondo‘s long-term future unlikely to be in Chicago and Michael Carter-Williams being a discouraging solution at the 1, having some guard depth wouldn’t hurt.

Giving up a first-rounder for a 31-year-old like Gibson seems like a lot, but the Raptors have their own 2017 first round pick and another a first-rounder coming from the Los Angeles Clippers (lottery-protected). Either one would be a score for the Bulls, and Toronto still would have one pick to fall back on.

However, there are other power forwards set to hit free agency this summer, and as much as Gibson might help on both ends of the floor, he doesn’t compare to alternatives like Paul Millsap or Serge Ibaka. If the Raptors traded for an upgrade at the 4, it’d be for one they’d actually have an interest in re-signing, not a temporary stop-gap for a do-or-die playoff run.

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