Poll: Will the Raptors Be Sellers This Trade Season?
Since shedding the contract of Rudy Gay to the Kings, months after dealing what was thought to be an untradeable Andrea Bargnani contract, Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri hasn’t made any major moves. The Gay trade was perceived as a signal by many that the Raptors were prepared to punt on this season. Toronto’s roster was believed to be highly available, with the only untouchable being Jonas Valanciunas. Kyle Lowry was very close to being dealt, before Knicks owner James Dolan stepped in to stop that trade.
Since that turbulence, the Raptors have maintained a record above .500 and currently sit as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, atop the Atlantic Division. While Ujiri has been praised as one of the best front office minds in the league (he won NBA Executive of the Year last season), the assumption that his go-to strategy would be tanking might be misguided. While continuously overhauling the Nuggets roster, Ujiri never oversaw a losing season in Denver. Despite parting with big names like Carmelo Anthony and Nene and receiving a potentially premium draft pick in return (the Knicks’ unprotected 2014 first rounder), Ujiri still managed to acquire players that kept the Nuggets a perennial playoff team. Of course, the draft classes during his Nuggets years were not as highly touted as 2014’s loaded crop, which is a significant variable.
Chuck Myron recently featured Kyle Lowry in our Trade Candidate series, noting that Lowry’s stellar play this year could be due to his entering his prime, or an aberration awaiting a regression back to his career norm. Lowry could be a microcosm for the Raptors roster as a whole. With a bunch of young pieces playing pretty well (especially DeMar DeRozan and Amir Johnson), do the Raptors have a legitimate core to build upon for this postseason and the coming years? Or do they have an over-performing team destined to plateau, one that isn’t worth keeping together for a playoff run in light of the potential talent they could land in the draft?
Odds are, Ujiri has a firm grasp on his team’s talent and its value around the league, and has a strategy to match that. What do you think that strategy is? Will the Raptors blow up the roster as they look ahead, or hang on to what they have?
How Will The Raptors Operate This Trade Season?
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They won't do much, riding out the season with their current roster and re-evaluating this offseason. 58% (500)
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They will be buyers, taking a shot at a higher seed and deeper playoff experience while the East is weak. 24% (203)
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They will be sellers, accumulating more future assets to the detriment of this year's competitiveness. 18% (158)
Total votes: 861
Trade Candidate: Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry‘s season has followed a most unusual script. The point guard of a team that seemed to be disintegrating in the immediate wake of the Rudy Gay trade, when nearly every Raptor was on the block, Lowry was on the verge of heading to the Knicks before James Dolan vetoed his acquisition. The Nets and Warriors were among an “ever-growing” list of trade suitors for the soon-to-be free agent just as Toronto neared a deal with New York, but GM Masai Ujiri set a high price for Lowry even as he aggressively tried to move him. That ransom began to prove wise beginning with a stretch of three straight late December games in which Lowry scored 20 points or more. Those performances were at the start of a run of seven wins in eight games for the Raptors, who took control of the Atlantic Division.
The Raptors are 23-21 after Monday night’s win at second-place Brooklyn, and they’re tied with the Hawks for the third playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. Lowry has averaged 18.6 points, 8.3 assists and just 2.0 turnovers per contest since December 20th, the night of the first of those three consecutive 20-point performances. Lowry, who’s never made more than 37.6% of his attempts from beyond the arc in a single season, is draining 44.8% of his three-pointers during this hot streak. Virtually all of his numbers are up over the past month or so, giving the eighth-year veteran a realistic chance to make his first All-Star Game.
It adds up to a dilemma for Ujiri. Lowry is 27, so his sudden leap may be a function of having entered his prime. He may also be in line for a regression. Ujiri has to gauge how much of Lowry’s improved play will persist, and what it means for his value on the trade market as well as in free agency.
Most around the league feel as though the Raptors are more likely to keep Lowry than trade him, but that could have more to do with the unwillingness of other teams to meet Ujiri’s price than Toronto’s eagerness to deal him away, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported this week. Lowry’s impending free agency complicates matters, particularly since it’s difficult to gauge what he’ll be worth on the open market this summer. Eric Koreen of the National Post recently suggested bidding could start at $8MM a year, quite a sum for a guy whose $6.21MM salary for this season didn’t seem like a bargain before his torrid play of late.
Concern about his locker room presence apparently helped dissuade the Warriors from going after him too hard last month. I think that’s more a reflection of a tight-knit W’s team not wanting to mess with its chemistry than an indictment of Lowry’s character, but it nonetheless suggests an up-and-coming club with plenty of young players might hesitate to bring him on.
That could be the case for the rebuilding Magic, one of the teams that’s drawn mention as a Lowry suitor in the past several weeks. Orlando’s interest would seemingly center on a feeling that Lowry is a better long-term option at the point than Victor Oladipo, a natural shooting guard, and the Magic would bank on the notion that they could re-sign Lowry this summer. The Magic have plenty of youth and draft picks they could offer Ujiri, but little that would help the team hold on to a high playoff seed this season.
The Pelicans, whom Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio identified as a Lowry suitor in the same report, are a curious inclusion in the race, particularly since the report came out before Jrue Holiday went down with a stress fracture in his leg. Holiday’s salaries are in the $10MM range for the rest of his contract, which runs through 2016/17, so maybe New Orleans sees Lowry as a someone who could provide similar production and, at worst, re-sign for about the same money. Ujiri might want Holiday, who’s four years younger and can’t bolt Toronto this summer, but there’s no indication that New Orleans has been considering a one-for-one swap of point guards.
Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote about the Heat’s desire to add Lowry, but Miami doesn’t have the assets Toronto would want in return, as Lowe notes. Any move that strengthens Miami would lessen the chance that the Raptors could pull an upset if they were to meet in the playoffs, and if Ujiri is optimistic about this season, that might be in the back of his mind.
Ujiri came to a team at a crossroads when he joined the Raptors this summer, and his assignment has only become more complicated since. What the team does with Lowry, and, just as importantly, what the Raptors sense Lowry wants to do regarding them in the summer, figures to have a lasting effect on the franchise. Ujiri has plenty of options with Lowry, and if he wants to add another Executive of the Year trophy to his mantle, making the right choice in the next three weeks will go a long way toward that end.
Danny Granger, C.J. Miles Drawing Interest
A pair of wing players from Central Division teams are drawing interest from clubs around the league as the trade deadline approaches, sources tell Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Pacers small forward Danny Granger and, to a lesser extent, Cavaliers swingman C.J. Miles have become targets.
Amico also suggests that the Pacers could pursue Kyle Lowry, though it’s not entirely clear if that news comes from his own sources or other media reports. There haven’t been any legitimate rumors linking Lowry to the Pacers of late, and it’s also unclear whether the Raptors are among the teams with interest in Granger.
Granger and Miles are on expiring deals, with Granger making slightly more than $14MM this season while Miles collects $2.225MM. It would be difficult for the Pacers to re-sign Granger and Lance Stephenson this summer, and that could fuel a desire on Indiana’s part to deal away the former All-Star, as I examined when I profiled Granger’s trade candidacy a couple of weeks ago. Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said last month that he’s not seeking a deal for Granger, but he nonetheless left open the possibility that he would consider offers from other teams. The majority of Hoops Rumors readers who voted in our poll this past weekend said Indiana should trade the 30-year-old.
The rumor mill has been much quieter regarding Miles, whose contract had been fully non-guaranteed before the Cavs opted to keep him beyond the leaguewide guarantee date earlier this month. Miles is averaging 10.1 points in 20.5 minutes per game with a career-high 15.7 PER this year, and he has spent most of the season as Cleveland’s starting shooting guard. Granger is meanwhile putting up some of his lowest numbers as he recovers from nearly a season and a half lost to injury. He’s in a new role as a reserve and has put up 8.6 PPG in 22.2 MPG with a 10.4 PER this year.
Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Sixers, Casey
Will Carmelo Anthony stay in New York? We’ve heard lots of opinions on the matter and earlier today, his wife La La Anthony weighed in. “I definitely think he will stay [in New York]. I know that he wants to stay and I support him wherever he wants to go,” La La said in an interview with Bravo TV, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. “Listen, I used to live in Denver with him. If I can live in Denver, I can live anywhere. I just want him to be happy.” The latest from the Atlantic Division..
- Anthony badly wants to win a championship, writes Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. “(Winning a championship is) the only thing I care about. Anything else is irrelevant to me as far as when it comes to basketball,” Anthony said. “A championship is the only thing that’s on my mind, is the only thing I want to accomplish, I want to achieve and I’m going to do what I got to do to get that.” As Knicks fans are well familiar with, the Larry O’Brien trophy hasn’t come to New York since 1973.
- The Sixers have recalled Lorenzo Brown from the Delaware 87ers of the D-League just hours after assigning him, tweets Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News. Brown, as our running list shows, was sent down for a single day in his previous two trips and set a new personal record today with a stint that lasted just a few hours.
- There have been, “no really significant discussions,” on extending Raptors coach Dwane Casey‘s contract, a source tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Instead, it appears that the Raptors will finish out what has been strange year so far and re-evaluate. That’s perfectly fine with Casey, who would have no problem returning to his home in Seattle and getting back to another passion of his. “I never worried about having a job,” Casey said. “I say that with all sincerity. I never worried about losing a job, getting a job. Because I learned a long time ago how to fish.”
Odds & Ends: Millsap, Monroe, Lakers
Reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week Paul Millsap is outplaying his two-year, $19MM contract, which is no surprise. Still, he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that he’s content with the Hawks.
“I hope to stay here, but we haven’t discussed [it],” Millsap said. “Now where I’m at, I feel comfortable and, hopefully, it can turn into a long-term thing. Right now, we’re focused on these two years, seeing what we can do. I felt this was the right move for me.”
Here’s more on other teams and players determined to make the right move for themselves:
- The Pistons are “aggressively” sending out signals that they’re not going to trade Greg Monroe to the Wizards, who are reportedly interested in the big man, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in chat with readers. Kyler cautions that Detroit’s stance could change before the deadline.
- Kyler also hears that the Lakers have canvassed the entire league in search of young players and picks, but there’s little interest in what the purple-and-gold have to offer.
- DeMar DeRozan is under contract through 2016/17, but with trade rumors surrounding the Raptors, he made it clear that he prefers to stay in Toronto for the long haul, as part of an interview with BALLnROLL.com (hat tip to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News).
- With J.J. Redick returning to Milwaukee as a member of the Clippers for tonight’s game, Doc Rivers explained to reporters how Redick’s shot-making ability persuaded him to pursue the sharpshooter in free agency this past summer. Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel has the details, including input from Redick on what went wrong with the Bucks last year.
- The personal trainer for Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith has left the Knicks over differences with the coaching staff, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. The hiring of Idan Ravin was widely viewed as a favor to Anthony and Smith, and it’s unclear what role, if any, the split will play in Anthony’s decision regarding free agency this summer, Begley writes.
- Michigan shooting guard Nik Stauskas has been impressing NBA teams of late, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). The sophomore is No. 16 on the DraftExpress rankings and No. 19 on the ESPN Insider board.
Eastern Notes: Pierce, Lowry, Pistons
It was an emotional Sunday evening in Boston for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, who returned for the first time as Nets players, but it might have been especially awkward for Pierce, who had spent his entire career in green before this summer’s trade. The move devastated Pierce, writes Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com, who says the C’s second all-time leading scorer was near tears almost the entire time she interviewed him this past summer. Pierce told MacMullan that he wondered why the Celtics didn’t allow him to finish his career in Boston.
“I loved it here,” Pierce said Sunday. “Never wanted to leave.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The sense around the league is that the Raptors are more likely to keep Kyle Lowry than to trade him, but that could simply be a matter of Toronto’s high price tag for the point guard, which no other team has accepted yet, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Lowry will be a free agent at season’s end, and Stein suggests that’s motivation for Raptors GM Masai Ujiri to continue trade talks
- Jose Calderon says the Pistons never made him an offer to re-sign with the team this summer, observes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free-Press. “They were in contact with me, but I think they were waiting for Josh Smith, so I was just waiting and waiting, and Dallas came with a great offer … I couldn’t say no to that,” Calderon said.
- The Wizards spent their bi-annual exception this summer on Eric Maynor, who’s fallen so far out of the rotation that he isn’t even playing in blowouts, notes J. Michael of CSNWashington. Still, there’s plenty of reason why Maynor and the Wizards won’t soon be parting ways. His guaranteed contract includes a $2.1MM player option for next season, and he probably wouldn’t command as much if he were to become a free agent, Michael points out.
- The Sixers have assigned Lorenzo Brown to the D-League, the team announced. It’ll be the third time the point guard has gone to the Delaware 87ers this season, but his last pair of D-League stints lasted only a single day.
Atlantic Rumors: Rondo, Carmelo, Raptors
While NBA writers are handing out report cards around the season’s midway point, it’s not fair to grade Sixers coach Brett Brown yet, writes Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. Here’s this afternoon’s look at the Atlantic Division..
- Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders continues to hear speculation from league officials that Celtics guard Rajon Rondo could wind up with the Rockets. Jeremy Lin hasn’t shown that he can run the Houston offense at a championship level and has lost his gig to journeyman Patrick Beverley. Assuming the Celtics are looking to move Rondo, however, it’s still difficult to see him landing in Houston given their lack of trade assets.
- Kobe Bryant told reporters today that he won’t actively push Carmelo Anthony to come join him in L.A., but he did explain one key difference between where he makes his home and New York, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. “Well, everybody wants to play in Los Angeles,” Bryant said before his Lakers got underway against the Knicks. “I mean New York is a beautiful place, don’t get me wrong, but it is colder than [expletive] out here. You know, palm trees and beaches obviously are a little more appealing.” As an NYC resident, I can assure you that Kobe’s assessment is accurate.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Doug Smith of the Toronto Star if the success of Rudy Gay and others after leaving Toronto is a sign that the Raptors are doing something wrong.
Odds & Ends: Stuckey, Teague, D-League
Considering his expiring contract and recent stellar play, Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey could be a hot commodity on the trade market soon, especially for teams looking to add bench scoring or create some cap flexibility this summer, writes Brendan Savage of MLive.com. Despite the likelihood of being included in discussions as we inch closer to the February trade deadline, Stuckey insists that he’s strictly focused on playing basketball:
“Nah, I don’t think about that,..Whatever happens, happens. I’m here to play basketball. I’m a Detroit Piston right now…I have no control over that. My agent will take care of that. It’s up to the organization, what they want to do and what they’re looking at. I don’t think about it at all. I just try to come out every night and compete and try to win.”
Here’s more from around the league this evening:
- Newly acquired Nets guard Marquis Teague said he wasn’t shocked about being dealt from the Bulls and admitted that he didn’t fit well with the style of former coach Tom Thibodeau: “It just wasn’t clicking with Thibs the right way… trying to figure out the system was kind of tough for me. The way they play isn’t really my style, so it’s kind of difficult for me. But I’ve got a new start now, so I’m just looking forward to the future” (Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York).
- As per the team’s official website, the Suns have assigned Archie Goodwin to the Bakersfield Jam.
- The Cavaliers recalled Carrick Felix and Sergey Karasev from the Canton Charge earlier today (Twitter link).
- According to Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest.com, former University of Miami forward Kenny Kadji has entered the NBDL player pool and will likely receive a claim from a D-League team.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes that if the Raptors sign Vince Carter as a free agent this summer, it could help the team’s perception with other free agents who may question why the franchise hasn’t honored its most decorated star.
- ESPN’s Marc Stein forecasts the makeup of the 12-man Team USA roster which will compete in this year’s FIBA World Cup. Of the 28 names listed in the USAB’s national team player pool, Stein believes that 10 of them appear to be realistic locks (barring injury), leaving an interesting race for the final two spots.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Nets, Olynyk, Patterson
Fans who made it out to the Barclays Center tonight are being treated to a competitive game as the Nets are up 46-42 on the Magic at halftime. Joe Johnson, or Joe Jesus as Kevin Garnett calls him, leads the way with 10 points for Brooklyn while Glen Davis has 8 points and 6 boards on the other side. Tonight’s look at the Atlantic..
- The Nets got the rights to Eden Bavcic in the Tyshawn Taylor trade with the Pelicans, but GM Billy King says that we shouldn’t expect to see him in the NBA, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The 29-year-old is currently plying his craft in the Greek League.
- Peter Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com grades the Celtics at the midway point of the season. Rookie Kelly Olynyk gets a C despite the considerable hype he had coming into the season. Meanwhile, Kris Humphries, who came over in the blockbuster with the Nets, gets a B+ for his play. Recently, Hump said that he wants to remain with the C’s beyond this season.
- The Raptors also got a report card thanks to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Patrick Patterson gets an A- for his work in Toronto even though he struggled for the first part of the season with the Kings. GM Masai Ujiri gets a B for pulling the trigger on the Rudy Gay deal but Wolstat notes that there’s still a great deal of work to be done.
Fallout From Warriors/Celtics/Heat Trade
The Heat made initial inquiries about Kyle Lowry prior to today’s three-team trade with the Celtics and Warriors, but those talks with the Raptors went nowhere, Grantand’s Zach Lowe reports. Lowe predicts the Heat will cut either the newly acquired Toney Douglas or Roger Mason Jr. to open a roster spot for Andrew Bynum. Regardless, the trade is a “no-brainer” for Miami, Lowe believes. We’ve roundup up more news and reaction in the wake of today’s deal below:
- Even if the protected first-rounder the Celtics acquired turns into a pair of second-round picks after next season, the trade still provides Boston with a “small bounty,” Lowe writes in the same piece, as teams around the league are valuing second-rounders more highly.
- The departure of Joel Anthony prompts Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel to wonder if Udonis Haslem might be the next to go as the Heat continue to pursue a strategy of freeing money to keep their three stars and supplementing them with bargains.
- The Warriors are still “thrilled” to have essentially passed on Jarrett Jack in favor of Andre Iguodala this summer, even though Douglas proved ineffective as a replacement at backup point guard, forcing today’s move, notes Sam Amick of USA Today.
- Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com figures the depature of Crawford, who was developing into a serviceable point guard, strengthens the chances that the Celtics will keep Rajon Rondo long-term (Twitter link).
- Today’s trade means the Heat have cut their projected luxury tax bill by more than 50% since the start of July, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com explains (Twitter links).
- The Timberwolves weren’t among the teams interested in Jordan Crawford, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- Crawford played point guard for the Celtics, but he’s otherwise been a shoot-first gunner, and Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group believes he’ll benefit the Warriors most as a pure scorer.