Raptors have to make moves this trade deadline

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Vauxhall Advance

By Cole Parkinson

Vauxhall Advance

cparkinson@tabertimes.com

The Toronto Raptors have had a dreadful season. When looking at the past five years or so, the Raps have been one of the upper echelon of teams in the Eastern Conference and the wheels have fallen off a bit in the 2022-23 season. While that isn’t a great thing, obviously, I still don’t see it as a terrible situation either.

They have young players (Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa) that make up their core, but decisions loom large as the deadline draws nearer.

It certainly feels like Fred VanVleet is on the block and while he has had a pretty lacklustre year so far, teams would obviously want to add a point guard who has pedigree not only in the regular season but also in the playoffs. The Raps may not get a great return considering his down season, but Bobby Webster and Masai Ujiri won’t just give him away either. He’s a free agent at the end of the year, so we’ll see what route they take — but if it was me, I’d be looking to move him. On the other hand though, if a good deal doesn’t materialize, I’d rather keep him.

Right now, I think the Raptors would like to get into the draft lottery to gain a top-level prospect. And I don’t blame them considering how beneficial top-tier players are in the NBA. Barnes is having a sophomore slump, but I think he will be a great player for Toronto in the long run. He may not be one of those superstars, but if you get another top-five draft pick to pair with him, that’s a good start. Most mock drafts have C/PF Victor Wembanyama, PG Scoot Henderson, PG/SG Amen Thompson, SG/SF Ausar Thompson, and PG/SG Nick Smith Jr. as the top five, and the Raps would certainly be happy with one of those gutys.

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