The NBA trade rumors continue as the offseason heads towards the last batch of free agent signings.
The Toronto Raptors made the only bold move they could make-re-sign DeMar DeRozan to a 5 year deal that was very close to the max. It solidified their bid to become playoff teams in the East.
However, it still leaves them with a glaring need at the power forward position. Even early in the 2015-16 season, there were already trade rumors that were linked to the Raptors-who were perceived as an Eastern playoff team but not an actual contender.
The Raptors were able to break from that last season when they marched all the way to the Conference Finals where they faced a huge roadblock which was LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now, here comes the tricky part. The Raptors are limited in their cap space to address their need. They also lost reserve center Bismack Biyombo so the need to fill out the gap in the frontcourt seems more urgent.
According to Sean Woodley of Raptors HQ, one way to fill the need is to trade away Terrence Ross, a scoring guard who may be bumped off in favor of DeMar DeRozan. A viable trade target would be Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls.
"Gibson's name has been thrown around on sites like this for what seems like two years," Woodley admitted. "Terrence Ross is the name on the tip of most Raptors fans' tongues when it comes to any kind of trade for a significant salary (Gibson has a cap hit of just under $9 million). But in this case, trading three seasons of a cheap shooting threat like Ross for one year of a power forward boost might not make a ton of sense for the Raptors, who are light on dangerous shooters as it is."
Because of the salary cap, a team like Toronto needs to prioritize and Ross, while still useful, could best be utilized to bring back what the Raptors' need.
Gibson is reportedly being shopped by the Chicago Bulls who has been operating under the mantra of getting faster, younger and more athletic. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times confirmed this.
"To add some further clouds to the Bulls frontcourt rotation, a league source said that the Bulls have been talking to several teams about the possibility of moving Taj Gibson. The power forward is in the final year of his contract, scheduled to make $8.9 million."
The caveat is that Gibson will become a free agent at the end of the 2016-17 season. The Raptors may need to ask for more assets to cover the risk.