NBA Trades: 1 potential last-minute deal to shake up all 30 NBA teams
By Cal Durrett
NBA Trades: Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are hard to figure out. They opted against a traditional rebuild by trading their two best players primarily for up-and-coming players such as RJ Barrett and Emmanuel Quickly. They also received Bruce Brown from the Indiana Pacers in the Pascal Siakam deal.
At the moment, Brown is expected to be moved, and several playoff teams would probably love to have him on their roster given his shooting ability and defensive capability. Perhaps the most obvious trade target may be the Los Angeles Lakers, who would have use for Brown.
They could offer D'Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, and/or Jaxon Hayes, as well as a 2029 top 8 protected first round pick. Turning trade filler from the Siakam deal into another first round pick—which would be four firsts from that deal—would be a big deal for the Raptors. That after they just recently gave up the 8th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to the San Antonio Spurs.
They can also easily flip Russell and Hachimura to other teams for multiple seconds. Doing so would maximize the return for Siakam and help the Raptors remain relatively competitive as they figure out their next move while also having plenty of draft picks at their disposal too.