The Raptors made a pair of deals on deadline day, but they did their most significant work on the trade market earlier in the season when they sent OG Anunoby to New York and Pascal Siakam to Indiana. In the view of general manager Bobby Webster, Thursday’s moves were more about balancing the roster a little and preparing for the offseason, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays.
“We did our heavy lifting about a month ago,” Webster said. “So I feel like this trade deadline we cleaned up a lot of things and we addressed some of the things we talked about after the OG and Pascal trades.”
The new-look Raptors currently have an 18-33 record, the sixth-worst mark in the league. A poor finish to the season could put them in position to hang onto their own 2024 first-round pick, which will be sent to San Antonio if it doesn’t land in the top six.
However, as Webster pointed out on Thursday, the NBA’s lottery system offers no assurances – the sixth-worst team is more likely to end up in the No. 7-9 range than to pick in the top six – so there will be no effort to game the system down the stretch. Toronto’s focus will be on developing young talent and getting the new core players familiar with one another.
“We’re going to prioritize seeing this group play,” Webster said. “If it ends up that we’re in the top six, sure. But especially with the way the new NBA rules are, to try to game that doesn’t make a ton of sense. At the end of the day, it’s going to [come down to] the lottery balls. I think the big priority for us is playing that young group together, getting (2023 lottery pick) Gradey (Dick) in there with that group, seeing how they fit together because that will give us a lot more information about how to build this team and what moves to make this summer.”
Here’s more on the Raptors:
- Toronto was seeking a first-round pick beyond 2024 for Bruce Brown and didn’t want to take back multiyear money, according to Lewenberg. With no team willing to meet that asking price, the Raptors hung onto the veteran wing, whose deal includes a $23MM team option for next season. “Had we gotten the offers we wanted for Bruce we would’ve done something,” Webster said (Twitter link). “At the same time, Bruce is 27, he has a really interesting contract, he provides a professionalism and toughness that we value, and there’s options with Bruce this summer.”
- The Raptors will look to sign newly acquired big man Kelly Olynyk to a new contract and keep him beyond the current season, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. Webster said on Thursday that Olynyk wants to be in his hometown of Toronto, per Eric Koreen of The Athletic. “We’ve been big fans of Kelly,” Webster said. “I think the way we view him specifically is he’s a steady hand and I think we’ve seen it with the bench units, especially with the bigs, he’s going to provide a skill set of veteran presence, a voice that we think that unit could use some help with.”
- Reiterating that the Raptors never intended to use all the 2024 draft picks they controlled, Webster suggested the team was happy to use one of those lesser assets to acquire Olynyk and to add a young player in Ochai Agbaji, tweets Lewenberg. Webster described Agbaji as a “hard-working, high-character” player with “a lot of upside.”
- Gary Trent Jr., who is on an expiring contact, remained with the Raptors through the trade deadline. Webster said the plans for Trent are “a little TBD” and that the team is looking forward to evaluating him down the stretch (Twitter link via Lewenberg).
- The decision to waive Spencer Dinwiddie after acquiring him from Brooklyn means that Scottie Barnes will get more point guard reps the rest of the way, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter). Murphy adds that Toronto intends to fill its two open 15-man roster spots and will consider all avenues, including prospects from the G League and overseas.
- In a story for Sportsnet.ca, Murphy explores how the Raptors’ latest in-season trades alter their salary cap outlook going forward.
Some people are bashing the Raptors for focusing on young players instead of picks… which is weird and nonsensical to me. They’ve never been a FA destination, and drafting is *always* hit or miss. Young guys who are already in the league and have clear upside are almost always a better get than late firsts when you’re as far away from contention as the Raptors currently are. They did exactly what they needed to do.
As for keeping Siakam and OG for too long, yeah, maybe they did. But in their present situation, they did a good job. The OG trade especially was a great swap. Getting a young, growing starting PG, a young, local wing with upside, and the 31st overall pick in the draft is good value.
Good point.I’m seeing guys really getting good after a few years in the league like Brunson and Markkanen for two examples.
Especially considering they still have a 17-20 pick coming their way and the as mentioned 31st pick. It’s not like they no longer have any picks in this draft. Even if they don’t keep their own.
If they aren’t a “FA destination” wouldn’t it make more sense to have more picks so you can draft and develop players into core guys ?
I think the Raptors know the keys to success lie in building a core of good young role players…
That’s their focus… Taking swings on players who didn’t fit elsewhere that might fit in Toronto is key to making the whole thing work…
Just focussing on drafting players can handicap a team when it comes to paying them… It screwed the Hawks…
The Raptors are trying to get themselves into the position they were in 2018… One trade away…
Scottie is not a PG. Let him be ……
“The 10th-year veteran, who is reportedly being pursued by the Mavs, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers, made waves on social media last night, as he was seen sitting near the Mavs’ bench in MSG and talking with Mark Cuban as well.”
All four teams could use him. It’s a great move for Mavs. Especially after making two other trades. I’m Lakers I sign him quickly.
Yes they should let Scottie be and Scottie himself has said he is and wants to be a PG.
He needs work in pick and roll situations as he doesn’t have the shooting yet to keeps defenders honest but everything else is there. He’s a willing passer and he’s got great court vision.
I know, iknow you want your boy Quickly to get his reps in at PG and he will get plenty but they may as well try Barnes out at the spot as well. They aren’t winning many more games this season either way. At best he develops into one hell of a menacing PG at worst he develops into a forward who can act as a secondary playmaker and creator.
It’s not a Sochan situation…
But the idea is similar…
The Raptors need to know if Barnes can grow into that role…
Raps did well considering. They didn’t get the deal they wanted for Bruce(good player with an expiring contract and a 2025 first).
All in all they got rid of Schroder (who I didn’t wanna see leave), Thad, Kira Lewis the scrub, and Otto and recieved Canadian Olynyk and Agbaji who’s like a younger Dort that needs more consistency with his 3 point percentage.
Quickly, Scottie, RJ, Olynyk, Poetl is an okay starting 5. Then off the bench is:Bruce, Trent, Grady, Nwora, Boucher, Agbaji…
They saved money and will be able to add a player or two in the summer and keep Quickly and whomever else.
And you kept saying teams were afraid to make deals. But, as with every year, in all professional team sports, at the trade deadline, the majority of the trades get made.
Stop stalking Panther bro.
Stalking? Nah…His comments are just kinda funny.
Ain’t that something huh…
Ujiri did well overall. In particular, trading Anunoby and Siakam well in advance of the deadline. Dumping DS’s contract was a good move. Trading a 2024 FRP at the very bottom of the round (when he was already in middle of the round and at the very top of the second around) makes sense; but it comes down to Agbaji being the right guy. KO is a good peripheral add, but, with the cap space they’ll have, he could have been signed next year as UFA.
There is, however, no way around the fact that he screwed the pooch on Brown, starting with his ask. Brown’s contract was interesting last summer, and might have held some intrigue at the deadline to one or two teams. Now, he’s just a rental with an underwater option (useful only as a matching contract to a handful or teams, but not to TOR). Meaning, he’s basically Fournier, except with the ability to hurt their tanking efforts this season. I’m not sure if he tried to move Boucher or not. I would have. But maybe he’s valued on the other side of their cap space year or he tried and the price was too high.
I kinda hope they keep their pick and get to draft in a kid in the top 6. It’ll be interesting to see how they do rebuild and where they go from here.
Risacher or Williams would be really good picks.