Raptors’ next move after trading Pascal Siakam to the Pacers and Kyle Lowry of the Miami Heat struggles once more against his former team, the Toronto Raptors.
This season, the Toronto Raptors aren’t exactly going anywhere. They are currently in 12th position in the Eastern Conference with a 15–25 record for the season. They are tied for tenth place in the East with the Brooklyn Nets, thus their -1.8 point differential is also nothing to write home about. They are ranked first in the NBA with a net rating of -1.6. This season, opponents are shooting 38.8 percent from beyond the arc against the Raptors, so maybe they are just getting unlucky. Still, not many other signs point to this Toronto team making a significant run in the near future.
It would actually encourage the Raptors to start losing more games than they are winning. Due to the (mysterious) transfer of Jakob Poeltl last year, they owe the San Antonio Spurs their first-round selection in 2023 if it doesn’t finish in the top six.
The Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies have the sixth-worst record in the NBA at the moment, but the Grizzlies will be without Ja Morant for the remainder of the campaign in addition to Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane for a few weeks. To complete this season with a worse record than them would require a great deal of skill.
You can achieve that, for example, by trading their top players! OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn were already moved by Toronto to the New York Knicks in exchange for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a second-round pick—likely the 31st pick in the 2024 NBA Draft—from the Detroit Pistons. They agreed to a blockbuster trade to send Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers as a follow-up.
As was already mentioned, Toronto has every motive to tank. Their dismal performance and position in the Eastern Conference are further factors. The Raptors should consider trading Bruce Brown, though, mostly because of his contract predicament. With a team option and $23 million due to him next season, Brown’s contract is essentially about to expire. The Raptors may try to sell him and use that large cap number ($22 million) this season to bring back some extra draft capital if a team trying to shed long-term money decides they are uncomfortable paying him that amount in 2024–25.
Additionally, there won’t be a dearth of suitors vying for Brown’s services. A player like Brown might bring in another first-round pick for the Raptors, according to recent experience. Malcolm Brogdon was dealt by the Pacers to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Aaron Nesmith and a first-round selection that would ultimately be Ben Sheppard, the 26th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft out of Belmont University. Over the past two seasons, Nesmith has established himself as a reliable member of the Pacers’ rotation.
Finding players like that, who can develop with Tyreese Haliburton and support Scottie Barnes, the franchise’s cornerstone, should be the Raptors’ top focus, just as the Pacers did with Nesmith. RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley already meet that requirement. Grady Dick, a 2023 first-round pick, is expected to earn more playing time and become the next member of the Raptors’ youthful core, joining the other three. However, searching for a new player to join them can’t go wrong. Brown can assist them in locating the athlete.
