DeMar DeRozan (Photo : Rob Carr | Getty Images Sport)
A trade proposal that could actually take place later in the season could solve two teams' conundrums.
DeMar DeRozan is a former All-Star and Team USA member who could score 20 in a game. He is a prime talent that will definitely merit a premium price tag when he hits free agency.
This is something that the Raptors are concerned with, along with the gaping hole at the power forward spot. A spot that can easily be filled by Taj Gibson, and that's exactly what Raptors Rapture proposed. The full trade has Gibson and E'Twaun Moore for DeRozan and it checks out on the Trade Machine.
It seems incredible that the initiative for this trade came from the Raptors side, especially since the Bulls are a conference rival. The rationale for the trade is that the Raptors may not afford an 18 million paycheck for DeRozan. They actually can do it (cap-wise), but it may set them back on addressing other concerns.
"The Raptors need a power forward, and Gibson is better than any of the team's current hopefuls," RR mentioned. "This trade would spin off others; there would be a logjam at the 4-spot, which could only be broken by moving Patrick Patterson."
Kyle Lowry's recent scoring binge and the presence of Terence Ross makes the shooting guard spot resolvable. It is also easier to get a scoring guard if the trade Patterson.
Still, the main concern for DeRozan is how much he would demand and if the Raptors should match. If they use up their cap to keep DeRozan, there's hardly any cap space left to improve the team. Will the Raptors as currently constructed be able to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers?
Raptors Rapture's final word: "A GM's mission is to maximize his assets, and if Masai Ujiri doesn't want to feel like Bryan Colangelo did when Chris Bosh left, he must take action on a high-value asset like DeMar."
