Toronto Raptors: Discussing their 2019 NBA Trade Deadline

The Toronto Raptors are all in this year at the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline. Here is a table talk discussion about what went down and what’s next.

The Toronto Raptors have been busy, to say the least. The Raptors’ management made in total three trades, outward movement of five roster players, and only adding one at the Trade Deadline. With only ten payers on the roster, lots more work will be ahead for them. I will be joined with fellow HoobsHabit contributor, Mauricio Scott, as we discuss an analysis of the trades and the impact to follow.

Discussion:

Q: What are your thoughts about the moves the Raptors made?

Scott: Jeeze, with the surprise deal for Marc Gasol and the giveaways of Malachi Richardson and Greg Monroe, (Masai) Ujiri has set up the Raptors to attack the buyout market; and depending on how it goes, to make a serious run at the Finals. Gasol’s addition to the squad shouldn’t break up team chemistry, and this is a move clearly indicating that Ujiri will risk it all to keep Kawhi Leonard away from Los Angeles’ glitz and glamour. Losing fan favorite Jonas Valanciunas in the Gasol trade does break up the incredible tandem him and Serge Ibaka had splitting time at the five spot, but Gasol provides a clear upgrade to the roster in terms of offensive IQ and their two-way lineup, even if the former Defensive Player of the Year has lost a step over the years. Delon Wright’s loss shouldn’t hurt too much, as Toronto still has Fred Vanvleet at their disposal as a backup guard, and Delon is, after all, a 27-year old depth piece who will probably seek a decent contract as a restricted free agent. Lastly, it’s probably a good thing that C.J. Miles’ $8.3 million cap hit is finally gone after 6 months riddled with shooting slumps and inconsistency overall.

Turco: It is hard to disagree with their moves. Two of which as you mentioned were to save money off their tax bill. The Raptors have the fourth largest payroll, and any shavings for any amount of stretched days can save them millions. It’s tough that you had to include two separate second-rounders in order to create roster space. The buyout market will be difficult to predict, but as you mentioned, this was a win it all necessary move to tell fans and Kawhi Leonard alike, their goal is to come on top of the East.

In addition to your point about next year’s options. Both Miles and JV have player options they most likely would opt into, and Wright’s pending restricted free agency. Transferring those contracts to Marc Gasol’s $25.6 million player option for next year, which he is most likely to opt into is quite remarkable, they even save roughly $700k.

Q: After a busy 2019 Trade Deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks have added major pieces to upgrade their roster. In acquiring Marc Gasol, can an argument be made the Raptors are the best in the East?

Scott: For the first time since LeBron James’ seemingly never-ending rule over the East, the conference is now in a dogfight between the consensus top-4 teams; the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Raptors. It’s tough to say whether the Raptors are truly the top dogs, as they need to take a look into the state of each contender right now. The Sixers, similarly to Toronto, have set themselves up for a championship or bust campaign by trading for a guy who’s been an All-Star caliber player all year. That Ben Simmons-J.J. Redick-Jimmy Butler-Tobias Harris-Joel Embiid lineup looks dangerous on paper; even if naysayers hold their shallow bench against them, it has to be known that rotations get way tighter in the postseason (just refer to the Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Raptors). The Bucks, being led by MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, have just retooled their roster by adding a prolific 3-ball sniper in Nikola Mirotic, which should prove to be a problem to defenses considering they already have a center’s version of Klay Thompson in Brook Lopez and one of the best offenses in the Association.

Meanwhile, the Celtics stayed quiet at the deadline, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t wreak havoc in the postseason, as it is a given that they’ll truly show up when the time comes. That leaves us with Toronto, who’ve been known for their futile playoff runs over the past couple of years. A big three of Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, and Kawhi Leonard sounds very promising, as all are capable of being incredibly versatile two-way players; furthermore, the latter two can shoulder the scoring load when one of them is sitting. Gasol can also take pressure off Lowry in terms of ball distribution, something the latter has done incredibly well this year. If Nick Nurse can put all of the pieces of this puzzle together, the East better watch out.

Turco: I think Mr. Scott covered everything you could when discussing the top competitors in the East. The Sixers will have a difficult time with chemistry and they don’t particularly match up well against the opposing three Eastern giants, having only won only one game against them so far this season. But, with that said, it was with their previous roster. Harris is the kind of low usage, catch and shoot star they needed on their roster even without factoring how clutch Jimmy Buckets can be. Analysts have faith in Jonathon Simmons as a serviceable guard coming off the bench, he has been a major disappointment after leaving the San Antonio Spurs. He strikes me as a guy who excelled in a system, rather than pure talent, which is the case for a lot of NBA players, for example, Jae Crowder, or -hot take alert- Nikola Mirotic.

Mirotic on the dysfunctional Chicago Bulls was above average at best for his position prior to his career-highs with the New Orleans Pelicans. He was successful playing with Anthony Davis, which now on the Bucks has Giannis. Those two superstars play very different styles of games, Davis stretches the floor a lot more than Giannis’ inability to shoot beyond the arc. Yes, when it comes to paint penetration there is no one better, but it’s one of those you need to see it to believe it things. Oh, did I forget to mention Mirotic is major injury prone? It is a great pick up and one the Raptors were even in the running for until the Bucks outbid them, but Gasol’s impact will be greater on the Raptors due to his high basketball-IQ and playoff experience. Aside from the Celtics, the Bucks and Sixers have little to no playoff success – Giannis has yet to win a series. The Indiana Pacers are in third as we write this, and home-court advantage will be everything come playoffs.

Q: How will Nick Nurse and the rest of the coaching staff configure the starting rotation?

Scott: Right now, the Raptors still have to fill three more spots in order to have a full roster – assuming Malcolm Miller stays after signing a 10-day contract. That’s kind of bad news, but once you take a look at the 10 players they actually have under contract (excluding two-ways), you’ll realize that all of them are quality rotational players who can be played in multiple positions.

Guards: Kyle Lowry, Fred Vanvleet, Danny Green, Norman Powell.

Wings: Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby, Patrick McCaw.

Bigs: Marc Gasol, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka.

As I mentioned earlier, a good playoff run doesn’t require the tightest of rotations, and that is what Nurse has to work with right now. The real question here is who will start at center. My gut feeling would tell me to go with the guy who’s was a part of those Grit and Grind teams in the early 2010s; however, it has to be taken into account that in reality, he has lost a step or two ever since that era. I’m not saying he’s washed up, as he was still putting up a reasonably good 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game with the Memphis Grizzlies, but there is no reason to have Ibaka come off the bench permanently considering the way he’s played up to this point. I expect to see something similar to what Nurse had going with the JV-Ibaka timeshare at the 5, with the latter and Gasol seeing around 23-27 minutes per game.

Both of them are skilled offensive players who are definitely able to control the paint at any given point. As for the rest of the rotation, I might foresee Norman Powell and Patrick McCaw get a slight uptick in minutes until the Raptors fill out those vacant roster spots. Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam will now receive an even heavier workload than the one they had before, so around 35-38 minutes for both of them is an adequate guess. Lowry’s back issues have hampered him all year, so we might see VanVleet get more starter minutes for a couple of games while two-way player Jordan Loyd could also get involved.

Turco: Nick Nurse and the rest of the coaching staff will have a difficult time coming up with line executions. If I was an NBA player, it wouldn’t matter too much about who starts, but rather who ends the game. The Raptors have a choice going with a massively big lineup, having Green go to the bench and start KL7-KL2-PS-SI-MG. These are arguably the best players on the roster, and they could play together, but that lineup would lose so much speed, even with Siakam on it. Not to forget Serge last year in the playoffs when playing the power forward position. I truly wish I could forget it. Back to lineups, both Lowry and FVV have been dealing with lingering back problems, and even FVV admitted as much, he has never been 100% all season long. Moving Delon completely trashes what was once their deepest roster spot, going from five point guards (if you include Llyod) to two with back problems and one who isn’t NBA proven yet in Llyod. I fully expect Chris Boucher’s two-way contract to be converted. His days are coming to a close, and I cannot see a center joining this roster via buyout market – more on that later – who would accept a Greg Monroe prior to JV’s injury, limited role in the rotation. Nurse has been experimenting all season long, I don’t expect it to change anytime soon. Once March hits, I fully expect a full roster with defined roles for everyone leading into the playoffs.

Side note, I have absolutely no worries about chemistry issues or integration of Gasol into the rotation. He is an absolute beauty of a person and history with every veteran on the roster whether it’s a former teammate – Lowry or in Western Conference playoff matchups – Green, Leonard, and Ibaka. Fun Fact: When Lowry and Gasol last played together, the older of the two, Marc was a rookie. Shows you how far international players have quickly adapted the NBA style of basketball – for reference see Luka Doncic.

Q: With only ten players currently on the roster, plus the two two-way contracts, with four-five more spots to fill, who are the more likely candidates? Update: Miller is on a 10-day contract.

Scott: As Mr. Turco mentioned earlier, fan favorite Chris Boucher’s two-way contract will definitely get converted, so that’s one roster spot down. As for the others, it’s no secret that Toronto badly needs to acquire capable 3-point shooters. It sucks to see Wayne Ellington and Wesley Matthews already snatched up by two Eastern Conference rivals, but there are still options out there. In the case that this player gets bought out of his albatross of a contract, J.R. Smith could do the job. Albeit an unpopular pick, he’s been known to get hot at any given moment, and as long as Nurse isn’t playing him in crunch time, it’s fair to say that he can be a decent signing.

Another player that Toronto might need is a big man who can play limited minutes; similar to the now departed Monroe, but better. Knowing that Gasol and Ibaka aren’t what they were a couple of years ago on the defensive end, Marcin Gortat fits the bill as a guy who can come off the bench and play good defense. Lastly, the Raptors could use a shot creator, as the only one they have on the roster is Kawhi Leonard. Carmelo Anthony has been known to be that for his entire career. Signing him would definitely be a reach, but it’s not out of the question. Out of all of the guys here, he’s probably the least likely free agent/impending buyout candidate to be picked up, but at this point, the Raptors might ask a fan to come down from the stands to just even shore up their roster spots.

Turco: The joke at Thursday’s game was Sportsnet NBA reporter Michael Grange going to post up down low for the Raptors, since they played the game with only eight players and won, after career nights from both Siakam and FVV. I agree about the shooting, Smith has the playoff experience and shooting, but is way too much of a space case for my liking. Shooting will be difficult to find, I have been on record multiple of times trying to speak Ellington to existence but looks like he’d rather play for former Raptors head coach Dwayne Casey with the Detroit Pistons.

If they were to sign Boucher, I don’t think it is necessary to sign another big man for the center position. A stretch four would be ideal along with another playmaking/shot creator. If it wasn’t for Melo’s recent reputation of making contending team’s worse when on the floor, I’d be all for it. The Raptors will try to prolong filling out those roster spots as long as they can with possible 10-day contracts in hopes a good quality NBA player becomes available, such as Jeremy Lin as an example and shaving off some of their luxury tax bill in the process.

For the fans hoping for Vince Carter, it is a terrible idea, a distraction the team doesn’t need, and he has been on record saying he’d rather play for a team giving him consistent minutes rather than win a championship with a limited role. I just hope by the time March 1st comes — the buyout market deadline — the Raptors don’t fill their roster spots with journeymen of very little success in the NBA, the Shelvin Mack’s or the Wade Baldwin’s of the league. I would love some homegrown talent in Nik Stauskas, a consistent three-point shooting threat who has shown flashes of being a quality role player in the Association.

Last note: Toronto has the most spots to fill to complete their roster of 14-15 players and will have plenty of competition to do so. The top seven records in the league -including the Raptors plus the Los Angeles Lakers, all have at least one roster spot available for signing a bought out free agent.

Q: What is your overall grade for the Toronto Raptors’ Trade Deadline moves?

Scott: A-

When ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped another one of his infamous Woj Bombs which announced the Gasol trade, I was definitely excited. Toronto now has two former Defensive Player of the Year winners — could’ve been three with Ibaka if he wasn’t robbed in 2012 — to work with, along with a gritty guard in Kyle Lowry to have an incredible defensive lineup. If Leonard leaves in free agency, the Raptors still have a solid shot of being a playoff team for at most one more year with the core of Siakam, Fred, OG, Norm, Lowry, Ibaka and Gasol. Furthermore, since the latter three have expiring contracts, fans can hope that Siakam will lead them through what would lineup to be a dark rebuilding process; that will also lead to the close of an incredible era of Raptors basketball. For the time being, as Turco said, the success of this string of deals all depends on whether Ujiri can actually get good players to fill out those vacant roster spots.

Turco: INC.

As I mentioned in the grading of Toronto’s Trade Deadline piece — read more here — the benchmark for all their moves is a B+, but because Toronto’s brass made those moves with their full intentions of utilizing the buyout market, it is difficult to fully evaluate. If they are able to sign at least two good quality NBA players to spread out the roster’s weaknesses, their rating will increase to an A. On the other hand, if the roster is filled out with journeymen or veterans who can’t be trusted even in a limited role — looking at you  Zach Randolph — or intriguing prospects with little to no NBA experience, then the grade stays at a B+.