Five trade ideas for the Raptors as NBA deal season approaches

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With the NBA’s Feb. 6 trade deadline now less than a month away, it’s time to ponder some possibilities for the struggling Toronto Raptors. While there’s likely no blockbuster deal on the way (that was so last year, when both Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby were dealt), we could see some minor movement. That said, the NBA’s new, far more restrictive collective bargaining agreement makes deal-making much more difficult than ever before. It could well be a quiet deadline.

But that’s no fun, so here are a handful of ideas of trades the Raptors might want to consider (or not, I have this job and not an NBA management gig for a reason).

Note, all trades are valid as per Spotrac’s excellent new NBA CBA-compliant trade machine. Ideas are my own:

IDEA 1:

Raptors trade Bruce Brown to Detroit for Simone Fontecchio, Wendell Moore Jr. and 2025 Raptors second round pick.

WHY?

Detroit has been lost for nearly a decade now. Fans don’t show up for games and the franchise badly needs to get back to the playoffs, or at least the play-in. Having just sadly lost Jaden Ivey, Detroit needs more guard depth and while Brown, originally a Pistons draft pick by the previous administration, won’t replace Ivey’s scoring, he brings winning experience and a varied toolbox to the equation. The Pistons also move off the $8.3 million U.S. owed to bit part Fontecchio next season. The Raptors get back a high second round selection originally lost in the deal with San Antonio to bring back Jakob Poeltl and should be able to deal with having Fontecchio on the payroll, even with Scottie Barnes about to nearly quadruple his annual salary.

WHY NOT?

Detroit isn’t exactly flush with draft picks (it might have to send its first to Minnesota and owes some seconds in the future too) and Toronto might prefer to get a later second round selection elsewhere for Brown if it means not taking on any salary for next season.

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IDEA 2:

Raptors trade Davion Mitchell to Orlando for Gary Harris, Boston’s 2025 second and Orlando’s 2026 second.

WHY?

The Magic could use more guard depth, especially with Jalen Suggs banged up again. Mitchell is the type of defence-first player the team covets and a former No. 9 overall selection heading to restricted free agency. Harris, a former Masai Ujiri draft pick in Denver, doesn’t look like he has much left and the Raptors would decline his option for next season and pick up one of the last picks in this draft’s second round and another likely mid-second rounder next season for a player that doesn’t seem to be in the long-term plans.

IDEA 3

It’s time to get spicy. Toronto trades Gradey Dick, Brown, Kelly Olynyk and Mitchell to Chicago for Zach LaVine, Talen Horton-Tucker and Julian Philips.

WHY?

Yes, Dick has shown nice flashes of offensive prowess even if his three-point shooting hasn’t yet been as advertised and the fans seem to like him. And true, nobody seems to want LaVine for the nearly $95 million he’s owed the next two seasons (assuming he picks up his option for just shy of $50 million in 2026-27), but you’re subsidizing a big chunk of the money LaVine’s owed next year by including Olynyk and Dick and at some point the Raptors will want to win some games. To do that they’ll need to stop being close to the NBA’s worst three-point shooting team (in both accuracy and attempts). LaVine is one of the premier high volume distance shooters in the NBA, making 45% of his attempts this season (including 44% on the type of catch-and-shoot tries that NBarnes and Quickley would set him up for plenty) and 50% of his shots overall.

He’s only shot above 40% from three once other than this year, so his numbers should slip a bit, but LaVine is still a career 39%. He can’t defend, but neither can most of the Raptors. He’s probably the most available all-star level offensive talent the Raptors could procure right now. Toronto had interest in Horton-Tucker in the past and he and Philips have the type of long wingspans and defensive potential Toronto likes in its depth wings.

As a bonus, the dollars in and out in this deal are almost exactly even, which is hard to do.

WHY NOT?

LaVine turns 30 in March, has battled plenty of injuries and would create logjam on the wing, even with Dick gone. Plus, the Raptors remain high on Dick and think he has plenty of upside.

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IDEA 4

NBA insider Marc Stein said this week teams have only been given indications by the Raptors that Jakob Poeltl is not available, but these are just make believe ideas, so here’s one involving Poeltl.

Toronto trades Poeltl, Mitchell, Jamison Battle to Golden State for Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II, Gui Santos, 2028 Golden State first (Top 3 protected).

WHY?

Kuminga is only 22, was the 7th pick in 2021(three picks behind Barnes) and has flashed intriguing offensive potential. He also has the size and athleticism to cause some havoc defensively. Toronto would be banking that the Steph Curry Era would be over by the time the Warriors would owe the first. Looney was once a Toronto draft target and could hold the fort for a while in the middle and maybe even be retained next season.

WHY NOT?

It’s a reasonable return for Poeltl, but if you think the Toronto defence is bad now, try it without Poeltl. Plus Kuminga wants to get paid and the future payroll might get too steep for a team that’s nowhere close to being a contender.

BONUS

Houston might make more sense for Poeltl (with Mitchell also going for Cam Whitmore, Brooklyn’s 2027 first and Steven Adams and Jeff Green to make the money work).

@WolstatSun