To Trade or Not To Trade: Toronto Raptors Edition

(Photo by: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

On June 25, the NBA will hold its annual draft to bring college studs and international youngsters to the next level. It will be the time for the have-nots to add a piece that will turn them into a playoff teams or championship contenders.

It is also a time for the "haves" to re-work their rosters and add that final player that will take them over the top. Clubs that were successful in the past season often do this by taking advantage of those at the bottom.

The Toronto Raptors had high hopes going into the 2008-'09 season. They had made a giant acquisition by getting Jermaine O’Neal, who was supposed to team with All-Star Chris Bosh to form a great front line and make the squad a playoff team.

But that solid plan, well laid-out by general manager Bryan Colangelo, was abandoned right before the trade deadline when O’Neal was dealt to the Miami Heat for Shawn Marion. The Raptors ended up finishing well back in the race for the postseason, but for that, they have been rewarded with a lottery draft choice. 

The Raptors will choose ninth on draft day. Over the past couple of seasons, this pick has produced some decent talent, but only one player that has changed a franchise. In 2008, D.J. Augustin went to the Bobcats at No. 9; in 2007, the Bulls chose Joakim Noah; and most importantly, in 2004 the Sixers chose Andre Iguodala.

In the 2009 draft, the ninth pick could come down to a roll of the dice between any of about ten players. Some mock drafts have the Raptors taking Jrue Holliday, guard from UCLA, while others have them taking Stephen Curry from Davidson or forward Earl Clark from Louisville.

I say look for a point guard to be the eventual choice, though which one is anybody’s guess.

But with such ambiguity, shouldn't a team's GM start thinking outside the box? He could start making some phone calls around the league to find out how he could improve his team through a trade, for example.

When trying to understand how Colangelo might go about this, we need to look at the needs of the Raptors:

• A backup point guard for Jose Calderon
• A shooting guard or swingman that can create his own shot and drive tothe basket

The swingman need could be addressed by re-signing Shawn Marion, which Colangelo would like to do. The team is also bringing back Carlos Delfino after a year's absence to cushion that spot.

The Raptors went through a couple of backup point guards last season, and it became evident that Roko Ukic is not the man for the job. Hence the likelihood of them addressing the one in the draft.

But before we get to the names of potential additions, let’s first examine who is available via trade from the Raptors:

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