NBA Trade Rumors: Raptors 'Simply Wouldn't Dangle' OG Anunoby for Damian Lillard

It turns out OG Anunoby was too valuable for the Toronto Raptors to include him in trade talks with the Portland Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard.

The Raptors "simply would not dangle OG Anunoby for Lillard," according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.

Lillard was eventually traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday in a three-team deal with the Phoenix Suns that also included Jrue Holiday and Deandre Ayton, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Raptors had been linked to a deal for Lillard in recent days, with Sportsnet's Michael Grange reporting Monday that Toronto was "very much in the mix. Certainly not all the way there and likely not even halfway to getting a deal done, but progress has been made."

Grange wrote:

"By all accounts, the Raptors seem at least reasonably confident they can maneuver their way to the front of the line, past the Miami Heat—Lillard's preferred destination—and ahead of a team such as the Brooklyn Nets, who have the draft picks to get something done if Portland is open to taking on the last two years of Ben Simmons' contract. The Orlando Magic could also make themselves heard, per sources."

The Trail Blazers "have long coveted Anunoby," Wolstat reported Tuesday. If the Raptors were willing to include Anunoby in a deal for Lillard, it's possible the franchise would've landed the superstar point guard's services.

Anunoby, a 2017 first-round pick, had a solid 2022-23 season for the Raptors despite the team missing the postseason for the second time in three seasons. He averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.9 steals in 67 games while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 38.7 percent from deep.

Anunoby is entering the final year of his contract in 2023-24 with a player option worth nearly $20 million in 2024-25 that he can decline in search of a more lucrative deal.

Considering the Raptors were unwilling to include him in trade discussions for Lillard, it's reasonable to believe the franchise views him as a key piece of its core alongside Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam.