Ideal Trade Partners for the Toronto Raptors During the 2015 NBA Offseason
Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri's itchy trigger finger is slowly creeping toward the reset button.
Who can blame him? The Washington Wizards—who swept Toronto in the opening round of the playoffs—exposed serious flaws in a roster that likely overachieved by winning a franchise-best 49 games during the regular season.
Ujiri is no stranger to making bold moves—whether it was sending former No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani to the New York Knicks just months into his new job, or dealing Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings before 2013 came to a close. If the opportunity presents itself to radically change a formula that isn't working, Ujiri will pounce all over it.
He may need to dig into his bag of tricks once again to get the Raptors back on the path to an NBA championship, rather than living with a reputation of being nothing more than a first-round punching bag. Toronto's only had two playoff appearances since 2009, but those early exits are enough to convince the rest of the league that it shouldn't be viewed as a legitimate threat just yet.
The question now is whether Ujiri needs to blow up the roster and start from scratch, or simply add some side pieces—like he did last summer by acquiring James Johnson and Lou Williams—to the core of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas.
The 2015-16 Raptors could look substantially different from last season's iteration as six players enter unrestricted free agency. Ujiri will have some decent cap space to toy with, but that's only if he lets everyone walk.
Trades could also be a means to turning things around, although they would have to be for players that could assist in improving some of the Raptors' glaring weaknesses—with defense and rebounding being two of the biggest.
The following teams could prove to be valuable trading partners should Ujiri open the lines of communication for potential deals.
Despite going up against an injured Cleveland Cavaliers squad in the second round, the Chicago Bulls were once again unable to overcome a LeBron James-led team, bowing to The King for the fourth time since 2009-10.
Coach Tom Thibodeau—who has two years and $9 million left on his deal—will likely be fired, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. A new voice on the sidelines could cure what ails Chicago, but that alone won't solve the LeBron problem.
Chicago has one of the most talented frontcourts in basketball, with Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson playing important roles throughout the year. With all four players deserving of quality minutes, and a clear lack of depth at the wing positions, Bulls' management should look into using that depth as trade bait to help strengthen the 2 and 3 spots.
Considering Toronto's lack of size, Ujiri would be doing his team a disservice by not inquiring as to who of the four could be available—if any.
Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote in March about a potential Gibson-for-Terrence Ross deal and how it makes sense for both sides:
"Finding a workable Gibson-for-a-wing deal is tough, but Gibson has two years left on a fair contract, and he’s a solid two-way player. If Amir Johnson leaves Toronto in free agency, perhaps the Raptors would think about swapping Terrence Ross for Gibson. Johnson is permanently hobbled, and the Raptors need at least one more reliable defender after plummeting to 23rd in points allowed per possession this season. Dwane Casey would love Gibson.
"
Gibson averaged 13.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per 36 minutes this season.
If Amir Johnson ultimately leaves, Gibson could step right in and be the starting power forward on opening night. He would mesh well with Valanciunas in the lineup, as the 23-year-old center needs a defensive-minded power forward by his side to help take some of the pressure off as he continues to grow into a rim-protector.
Gibson can't stretch the floor, which Raptors' coach Dwane Casey seemingly loves his bigs to do, but having Patrick Patterson and his 37.1 three-point shooting with the second unit will help compensate for that.
Mirotic would also fit well in the Raptors' system, but it's hard to imagine Chicago parting ways with such a promising forward working under an inexpensive deal (roughly $11.2 million over the next two seasons). Noah's expiring contract of $13.4 million could also peak Ujiri's interest as well.
A straight Gibson-for-Ross trade wouldn't work financially, so Ujiri would need to toss in the contract of Greivis Vasquez to make ends meet. The No. 20 pick in the 2015 NBA draft could also sweeten the pot, if made available. A perfect situation would be for the Bulls to throw in Tony Snell, whose numbers weren't far off from what Ross was averaging.
The Denver Nuggets have experienced a 27-win decline over the past three seasons, going from 57 victories in 2013 to just 30 this year. That type of regression will get them nowhere fast in the highly-competitive Western Conference.
Things are getting ugly in the Mile High City as several key Nuggets players want off the team. Guard Ty Lawson reportedly wanted out of Denver during the latter stages of the season, per Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post. A recent response to an Instagram comment concerning him joining the Dallas Mavericks also caused a rift with management.
Forward Kenneth Faried would also like to find greener pasture elsewhere, as Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler notes:
"In the case of Faried, the Nuggets have seemed somewhat apprehensive about Faried long-term, but they signed him to a multi-year contract extension last summer. Sources say this was more about locking in the asset and hoping the relationship would turn around. Faried, much like Lawson, wasn’t happy with the direction of the franchise but took the money anyway.
Sources close to the process say Lawson and Faried have kept no secret of their discontent and unless the Nuggets can pull off something major on the coaching front or make a significant trade, both have indicated they’d rather see a trade instead of sticking around for a long rebuild.
"
Ujiri was the Nuggets' general manager from August 2010 to May 2013. He selected Faried with the No. 22 pick in the 2011 NBA draft.
Toronto reportedly looked to acquire the Manimal prior to the trade deadline, according to Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy, but Denver wasn't willing to budge.
Faried is an energy guy who's notorious for crashing the glass, having averaged 11.5 boards per 36 minutes in 2014-15. The Raptors—who ranked 23rd in rebounding at 41.5 per game—desperately needed someone like Faried to be a consistent rebounder capable of snagging double-digit boards. The 25-year-old was also eighth in offensive rebounding, averaging 3.2 a night.
| 15.2 | 3.7 | 5.2 | 41.6 |
Bringing him north of the border would come at a high price, though, as Faried is owed over $11 million a season through 2018-19. His rebounding prowess would have to be enough, in Ujiri's mind, to justify the steep price tag.
While Lawson is an above-average NBA floor general, he's not enough of an upgrade over Lowry to move the Raptors' All-Star out of town. You could even refer to Lawson as a poor man's Lowry by simply looking at their numbers.
Forward Wilson Chandler, who recently joined Ujiri in Senegal to take part in the SEED Project, could also be on the Raptors' radar.
He torched Toronto in two meetings this season, averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists. He's more of a three-and-D wing than Ross is, yet he doesn't have the upside of the third-year guard.
Best Course of Action
Chicago and Denver are two teams that need to be scouring the league for ways to improve their foundations—just like the Raptors.
This is a perfect example of a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" situation. Toronto has assets that can benefit those teams, and vice-versa. It's just a matter of making those calls and putting together the right package for the appropriate parts.
Before Ujiri begins making any trade proposals, though, he'll need to look over his roster and decide who's worthy of bringing back.
Landry Fields, Chuck Hayes and Greg Stiemsma were never a part of the rotation to begin with, so cutting ties with them won't leave a mark. Amir Johnson has been a proud member of the franchise for six seasons, but his questionable ankles and long-term health make him a high-risk candidate.
Reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams will be looking for a pay raise, while gritty forward Tyler Hansbrough could probably be signed on the cheap.
“You guys know me: There’s no knee-jerk reaction here,” Ujiri said during his end-of-season press conference, per Eric Koreen of the National Post. “We’re going to be patient. I think that’s going to be our nature of building here.”
It's easy for supporters to pine for change in the face of adversity. Everyone wants to trade everyone when emotions are high.
Ujiri sees the big picture, though—one that involves the Larry O'Brien trophy being hoisted on Canadian soil.
There will be temptations along the way, but Toronto's best chance at redemption is improving on what's already there, rather than start anew.
Plug holes. Wheel and deal. Continue improving internally on top of whatever Ujiri decides to do.
“Maybe I didn’t get a pulse on our team," said Ujiri, per Rachel Brady of the Globe and Mail. "Those are all the things that I think we’re going to evaluate and then move on from there. But it’s not doomsday."
"There are a lot of good things.”
The reset button is an option, but not a good one. With a number of Atlantic Division teams looking to rebuild, the Raptors can realistically expect a few more banners to hang at the Air Canada Centre in the coming years. That means more trips to the postseason and more opportunities to snag that elusive seven-game series victory.
Christopher Walder is a Featured Columnist for the Toronto Raptors at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports.
All statistics are provided by NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com.
