Toronto Raptors: 3 blockbuster trades to go all in with Kawhi Leonard

1. Taking advantage of rumors in Minnesota

Kawhi Leonard may not enjoy the cold weather, but Jimmy Butler is certainly used to it. Perhaps the Raptors front office should inquire about bringing the allegedly disgruntled wing to Toronto.

Rumors about team chemistry have been circulating in Minnesota for a while now. ESPN‘s Zach Lowe mentioned that Karl-Anthony Towns and his team are “not in a good place internally.” There seems to be conflict between players as well.

A source told Sean Deveney of Sporting News that “Butler had problems last season with [Andrew] Wiggins, his work ethic and his approach on the defensive end of the floor.” Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Butler “has been frustrated with the nonchalant attitudes of younger teammates — specifically Karl-Anthony Towns.”

It would be prudent for the Toronto Raptors to place a phone call to general manager Scott Layden and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau. What could a potential trade look like?

The only rumors louder than the Minnesota chemistry ones are the rumors about Butler leaving during next year’s free agency period, as was reported by Joe Cowley in that same article. If this is true, shouldn’t Minnesota look to trade Butler for assets before he walks?

Landing Anunoby in a trade could make up for Andrew Wiggins not yet becoming the defensive player scouts expected him to be. With Wiggins agreeing to a massive rookie extension, and Towns supposedly being close to accepting one as well, Minnesota needs talented players on cheap contracts.

With several capable frontcourt players on the roster, Ibaka is not a good fit for the Timberwolves. However, he is needed for salary purposes. Minnesota could probably find a way to trade Taj Gibson‘s expiring contract and unclog this logjam. A future pick swap makes the Ibaka addition more tolerable.

For the Toronto Raptors, this trade may be the best of the bunch. Butler is a top NBA talent who competes on both ends of the floor. It is no question why he is an analytics darling for sites such as BBall Index.

Toronto could maintain its offensive production while increasing its defensive ceiling. Of course, the risk is that Butler — like Kawhi — could be another one-year rental.

With that being said, the reward could be the Toronto’s first ever NBA Finals trip.