Toronto Raptors: 3 possible 2021 NBA trade deadline targets

1. Toronto Raptors NBA trade deadline target: Evan Fournier

The Orlando Magic have been ravaged by injuries all season. Their only bright spot has been Nikola Vucevic making the All-Star game and the question needs to be asked, is it time to trade all the veterans?

One player that the Raptors should enquire about is Evan Fournier. It seems likely that Fournier could be traded this deadline as The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported that teams have express interest in Fournier.

As mentioned, the numbers may suggest the Raptors are an above-average half-court team but as we saw in the Bubble, the Raptors struggle to create in the half-court in the slower-paced games.

The Raptors currently have Norman Powell playing in a Fournier-like role and it’s unlikely that Powell maintains his recent scoring output – in the month of February, Powell averaged 22 points per game (6.1 points better than January) with a 63.3 effective field goal percentage.

If the Raptors sell high on Powell the team could possibly acquire a more reliable (and better) wing to the playoff hunt.

Fournier is averaging 18.5 points per game and 3.8 assists per game. We’ve seen his versatility offensively with the Magic in multiple playoff runs and especially with the French national team.

He can be a complementary facilitator in the half-court, create both on and off the ball efficiently in the half-court and he has more size than Powell — which helps in small-ball lineups.

The trade would include Powell, Patrick McCaw (salary filler), and Matt Thomas. Thomas has been in Nick Nurse’s doghouse all season (15 DNP’s and averages 6.9 minutes per game) and his shooting prowess (career 45 percent 3-point shooter ) would add a reliable threat to the Magic’s offense which ranks in the ten worst NBA teams for 3-pointers attempted, make and in 3-point percentage.