The NBA trade rumors are starting to creep up even for the Toronto Raptors-a team with unprecedented success this offseason.
The Raptors' success is primarily behind two players: Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Lowry is an NBA journeyman who found home in Toronto while DeRozan is the team's original draft pick. Another factor for their success is the development of center Jonas Valanciunas.
While this roster has remained competitive and reached a franchise milestone by breaking 50 wins, this is not a championship contender. The Raptors are chasing the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference no.1 seed but even if they secure homecourt advantage, few would have them beating LeBron James' crew.
Also, great as the roster is, they still have a hole at the power forward spot. This is why Brian Boake of team site Raptors Rapture floated the idea of trading Jonas Valanciunas. His rationale is that Bismack Biyombo could be a cheaper alternative.
Boake mentioned that Ujiri's acquisition of Biyombo was underrated. The Congo native was considered an athlete more than a basketball player while he was in Charlotte and "make three bad plays (some bordering on embarrassing) for every one aggressive put-back slam dunk or blocked shot."
However, he has changed when he went to the Raptors as "the ratio flipped almost on its head." Biyombo now has higher usage than Valanciunas and is expected to triple his $ 3 million salary. While Valanciunas is not a bad player, he is paid about $ 15 million. If the Raps pay to keep Biyombo, that would have roughly $24 million tied up at the center position.
Flipping Valanciunas to secure a power forward and handing the reins to Biyombo would solve some of their cap issues and the Raptors also have DeMar DeRozan to think about. Their second-best player has emerged into an All-Star scorer and is likely to attract maximum money.
Basketball Insiders Steve Kyler has mentioned that DeRozan is loyal to the franchise and the Raps would likely pay, but the issue here is whether the Raptors have reached their ceiling. If the Raptors spend to keep DeRozan and Biyombo, the only improvement they can have is a lottery pick from the either the Knicks or Nuggets. Would that be enough to make them contenders?
Prior to the trade deadline, ESPN Insider Brad Doolittle proposed trading DeRozan to the Lakers. The Raptors could revisit that through a sign and trade arrangement to get something in return, like a combination of Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson.
The Raptors could flip Valanciunas and newly-signed DeRozan for other assets that could push the team forward or could actually take them a few steps back. This is a decision that GM Masai Ujiri has to make-keep a competitive but not contending team together or gamble on improving in the future.
The specter of the Golden State Warriors dominance could somehow influence his decision. If Ujiri feels like the team has reached its ceiling but would still not win against teams like the Warriors, Spurs or even Cavs, he may just spend the next season preparing to build the next Eastern juggernaut.