NBA Rumors: Toronto Raptors Insane to Shop Lottery Pick for Immediate Help

The Toronto Raptors are fooling themselves if they really believe that building to win now is the best way to go. 

According to a report from Chad Ford and Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Raptors are willing to trade the No. 8 pick in this month's draft to acquire a wing man.

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With a slew of league execs having converged on Chicago this week for the NBA's annual pre-draft camp, sources told ESPN.com that the Raptors have at least two known trade targets: Memphis swingman Rudy Gay and Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala. 

The Raptors, sources said, are prepared to part with their lottery pick in this month's draft at least partly because they have a lottery pick on the way. 

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The pick on the way is European center Jonas Valanciunas, but the bigger picture for the Raptors is what they seem to be thinking right now. 

This team is a mess, with no stars and one of the worst rosters in the NBA. It is the perfect situation to start a rebuilding process, but by trading for an established, expensive veteran, the Raptors would be trying to build for today. 

Now is the perfect time for the Raptors to be looking at what they can start building with Valanciunas and this year's lottery pick. If Valanciunas turns out to be everything the team hopes and if the No. 8 pick this year—likely a guard—will make an impact, the future would be brighter than ever in Toronto. 

Trading for a veteran does not make sense, at least not for where this team is. When you are on the verge of contention and missing one key piece, that is when you start trading assets for someone who can contribute right now. 

Gay and Iguodala will both be making in excess of $14 million next season. The Raptors have a payroll of around $41 million. They have no reason to start adding expensive pieces to drive that number up right now. 

Building from within is the best way for the Raptors to ensure a long, sustained window of success. Trading a lottery pick this year would be the worst possible thing they could do. 

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