By dealing for Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors may have signaled that they have a title-or-bust mentality for next season. What other pieces could they add to increase their championship odds?
Despite the rumors of Kawhi Leonard wanting to sign with a Los Angeles team next offseason, the Toronto Raptors decided to trade for the former All-NBA First Teamer anyways. This could very well turn out to be a one-year rental for the Raptors, but team president Masai Ujiri felt it was a necessary risk to take. Could another move be in the works?
The Toronto Raptors have surely improved their roster. Replacing DeMar DeRozan, an All-NBA player in his own right, with Kawhi Leonard is widely looked upon as an upgrade. The additional loss of Jakob Poeltl should not sting too badly. Yet, the move may not have catapulted the Raptors past the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference hierarchy.
With a Celtics team bringing back Gordon Hayward, as well as a healthy Kyrie Irving, it looks as though the Cs are going to be the favorites in the East. Philadelphia lost a couple of key role players to free agency, but returns a large part of its core and will benefit from another year of team chemistry. Toronto might need to bring in another star player if it wants to make it out of the East.
Are there any players the Raptors could realistically trade for? In today’s NBA, just about everyone is obtainable if the price is right. For example, four of the 15 members from the 2016 All-NBA Teams have been traded since receiving the honor.
Is Toronto looking for another star? Ian Begley from ESPN has reported that Toronto has remained active in the trade market, but may not be aiming to make another splashy move.
Several opposing executives say the Toronto Raptors remain motivated to shed salary via trade following the Kawhi Leonard deal earlier this week.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 20, 2018
While a salary dump may be of interest to Raptors ownership, they should be looking to take advantage of the addition of Leonard. After all, his stay in Canada may not last longer than this upcoming season. With assets such as OG Anunoby, Delon Wright, Pascal Siakam and the expiring contract of Danny Green, the Raptors may have just enough resources to pull off one more trade.