Fisher: Raptors are still shopping RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley

[earthtone]

YOU wouldn’t do this lol. Raptors don’t value RJ like y’all do.

They don't value someone like Ayton either who is the complete opposite of what they look for in a player.

It’s not about valuing Ayton. It’s about valuing his expiring contract.

If you’re swapping 2 negative assets, would you rather pay $35M for one year or pay $57M over the span of 2 years when you’re already a luxury tax team.

Poeltl will decline his player option at the end of the next season as well. Good luck extending him if RJ is still on the books.

Poeltl's extension eligible his summer and by all accounts he's resigning with the team. By the end of next week we'll have our entire Top 10-12 rotation players (aside from Ochai) signed through the 2026-27 season.

We're not in nearly as bad of a cap situation as you're making it out to be, nowhere near the point where we're trading starters for nothing in order to clear salary

[HumbleRen]

They don't value someone like Ayton either who is the complete opposite of what they look for in a player.

It’s not about valuing Ayton. It’s about valuing his expiring contract.

If you’re swapping 2 negative assets, would you rather pay $35M for one year or pay $57M over the span of 2 years when you’re already a luxury tax team.

Poeltl will decline his player option at the end of the next season as well. Good luck extending him if RJ is still on the books.

Poeltl's extension eligible his summer and by all accounts he's resigning with the team. By the end of next week we'll have our entire Top 10-12 rotation players (aside from Ochai) signed through the 2026-27 season.

We're not in nearly as bad of a cap situation as you're making it out to be, nowhere near the point where we're trading starters for nothing in order to clear salary

I know is but it’ll be with RJ off the team lol.

We’re not paying IQ 32M, RJ 28M, BI 40M, Scottie 43M and Poeltl 25M+ for a team that isn’t guaranteed to be a playoff team.

We will be moving redundant players and RJ is the most expendable one out of the starting 5. Also the worst fit. It’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of when, not if.

[WWSRD]

Quickly + 2026 1st round pick (top5 protected) + 2028 pick swap for Garland.

Raps get upgrade at point and a primary creator they really need.

Cavs get pretty good fit beside Mitchell. Another high volume 3pt guy. Save 6 million this year. 12 million next year in salary.
They get a potential lottery pick next year. And who knows in 2028.

If your Raps, maybe you feel 2028 pick swap won't be so bad, so it works.

Who says no?

[djsunyc]

is garland that big an upgrade over iq?

[HumbleRen]

is garland that big an upgrade over iq?

Yes. Doesn’t show in the counting numbers but he’s a significantly better player.

[WWSRD]

I think Raps really need that "I can get by my man and get you a look at will" type PG. And you don't lose any shooting.

It's worth 1 FPR for sure. You have to believe by 2028 you're almost as good as the Cavs

[WWSRD]

Cavs saving $6million this year is like $17million in real money and over 2 years could save ~$40 million. So there's real money there to motivate.

[earthtone]

It’s not about valuing Ayton. It’s about valuing his expiring contract.

If you’re swapping 2 negative assets, would you rather pay $35M for one year or pay $57M over the span of 2 years when you’re already a luxury tax team.

Poeltl will decline his player option at the end of the next season as well. Good luck extending him if RJ is still on the books.

Poeltl's extension eligible his summer and by all accounts he's resigning with the team. By the end of next week we'll have our entire Top 10-12 rotation players (aside from Ochai) signed through the 2026-27 season.

We're not in nearly as bad of a cap situation as you're making it out to be, nowhere near the point where we're trading starters for nothing in order to clear salary

I know is but it’ll be with RJ off the team lol.

We’re not paying IQ 32M, RJ 28M, BI 40M, Scottie 43M and Poeltl 25M+ for a team that isn’t guaranteed to be a playoff team.

We will be moving redundant players and RJ is the most expendable one out of the starting 5. Also the worst fit. It’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of when, not if.

Our starting 5 is being payed like a playoff team, I'm not disputing that. We're paying those guys about the same as the Magic/Knicks/Cavs/76ers/Celtics are.

The question is if we can perform at the level during the regular season. Personally, I think there's a chance. You might not. But there's no need to make any big roster moves before giving it a chance to play out.

If the team is successful and looking like a Top 6 lock, all of a sudden our roster is pretty good value. If we're not successful, we still have the trade deadline and draft to shed salary to get under the tax.

There's no benefit to making a big salary dumping move now

[HumbleRen]

Poeltl's extension eligible his summer and by all accounts he's resigning with the team. By the end of next week we'll have our entire Top 10-12 rotation players (aside from Ochai) signed through the 2026-27 season.

We're not in nearly as bad of a cap situation as you're making it out to be, nowhere near the point where we're trading starters for nothing in order to clear salary

I know is but it’ll be with RJ off the team lol.

We’re not paying IQ 32M, RJ 28M, BI 40M, Scottie 43M and Poeltl 25M+ for a team that isn’t guaranteed to be a playoff team.

We will be moving redundant players and RJ is the most expendable one out of the starting 5. Also the worst fit. It’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of when, not if.

Our starting 5 is being payed like a playoff team, I'm not disputing that. We're paying those guys about the same as the Magic/Knicks/Cavs/76ers/Celtics are.

The question is if we can perform at the level during the regular season. Personally, I think there's a chance. You might not. But there's no need to make any big roster moves before giving it a chance to play out.

If the team is successful and looking like a Top 6 lock, all of a sudden our roster is pretty good value. If we're not successful, we still have the trade deadline and draft to shed salary to get under the tax.

There's no benefit to making a big salary dumping move now

Fair play if you think it’s a core worth investing in. I just don’t see it that way, nor would any advanced data would agree with that too. The FO see those same analytics.

I’m happy to be wrong but I’ll be shocked if RJ is still on this team past the trade deadline.

[HumbleRen]

I think Raps really need that "I can get by my man and get you a look at will" type PG. And you don't lose any shooting.

It's worth 1 FPR for sure. You have to believe by 2028 you're almost as good as the Cavs

I think the floor would be 2 FRPS. I’d still do it though. He would be our best PG since Lowry.

[LarSiN]

RJ isn’t the better contract because Ayton is on an expiring one.

Raps would gladly do this trade, not sure about Portland.

If TOR would "gladly" trade RJ + Ochai for Ayton, it would've been done weeks ago.

not sure about Portland.


You're not getting an upgrade for Barrett. A downgrade, a shorter contract, or maybe two rotational pieces. That's it. He's horrible. IQ too. Masai **** up with that OG trade. That's so bad. That was a Rob Babcock Move.

Ayton is not an upgrade over RJ, and I disagree with your assessment

[sidsid]

Poeltl's extension eligible his summer and by all accounts he's resigning with the team. By the end of next week we'll have our entire Top 10-12 rotation players (aside from Ochai) signed through the 2026-27 season.

We're not in nearly as bad of a cap situation as you're making it out to be, nowhere near the point where we're trading starters for nothing in order to clear salary

I know is but it’ll be with RJ off the team lol.

We’re not paying IQ 32M, RJ 28M, BI 40M, Scottie 43M and Poeltl 25M+ for a team that isn’t guaranteed to be a playoff team.

We will be moving redundant players and RJ is the most expendable one out of the starting 5. Also the worst fit. It’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of when, not if.

Our starting 5 is being payed like a playoff team, I'm not disputing that. We're paying those guys about the same as the Magic/Knicks/Cavs/76ers/Celtics are.

The question is if we can perform at the level during the regular season. Personally, I think there's a chance. You might not. But there's no need to make any big roster moves before giving it a chance to play out.

If the team is successful and looking like a Top 6 lock, all of a sudden our roster is pretty good value. If we're not successful, we still have the trade deadline and draft to shed salary to get under the tax.

There's no benefit to making a big salary dumping move now

We're not talking about moving a small contract to duck the tax. RJ is in the 30mil range of offense-only type players that teams have had a tough time moving. Joe Dumars idiocy aside. They've got to be active during the offseason to see if they can make it happen before rosters are set.

The FO tried to pawn him off to the Pels in a trade for BI and they simply didn't want the salary.

The likely problem is we have to attach other assets or take on other bad contracts of our own in some of these trade proposals which is unpalatable.

I can see the FO preferring to just pay and play Ochai, who fits our needs at the position and he's looking for a contract next year.

[LarSiN]

We really got fleeced by the Knicks in that OG trade.. Made the Siakam trade look decent which is bad. Should have just traded OG for 1st rounders rather than some mediocre players.

Not sure how you can come to that conclusion already... We haven't really seen the team play together much, IQ only played 33 games last season and RJ is still only 25. I think people forget how much we were struggling to score as a team prior to the trade, our offense immediately improved because both guys can self-create.

Exactly, just sad sack "fans" anxious to complain / give up on players. We'll be good with a healthy lineup, book it

[S.W.A.N]

YOU wouldn’t do this lol. Raptors don’t value RJ like y’all do.

Unsure how you have any more insight into the Raptors' valuation of RJ than anyone else on this forum. No matter how anyone values RJ, it's safe to assume spending $35 million on a backup centre isn't something in the cards

You’re not paying 33M for a back up center. You’re paying that price to get an expiring 33M off the books by next summer instead of paying RJ 57M + over the next 2 years.

So you want to give Ochai away to get rid of RJ. Give me a freaking break. The team doesn't hate RJ. They hate being at the luxury tax.

Stop the nonsense. Ayton is not the move. The money is wrong.

If you went with Williams your agreement actually has a chance of being logical. And even then Portland would really have to like RJ


RJ to Portland is dumb for both sides.

[earthtone]

I know is but it’ll be with RJ off the team lol.

We’re not paying IQ 32M, RJ 28M, BI 40M, Scottie 43M and Poeltl 25M+ for a team that isn’t guaranteed to be a playoff team.

We will be moving redundant players and RJ is the most expendable one out of the starting 5. Also the worst fit. It’s going to happen, it’s just a matter of when, not if.

Our starting 5 is being payed like a playoff team, I'm not disputing that. We're paying those guys about the same as the Magic/Knicks/Cavs/76ers/Celtics are.

The question is if we can perform at the level during the regular season. Personally, I think there's a chance. You might not. But there's no need to make any big roster moves before giving it a chance to play out.

If the team is successful and looking like a Top 6 lock, all of a sudden our roster is pretty good value. If we're not successful, we still have the trade deadline and draft to shed salary to get under the tax.

There's no benefit to making a big salary dumping move now

We're not talking about moving a small contract to duck the tax. RJ is in the 30mil range of offense-only type players that teams have had a tough time moving. Joe Dumars idiocy aside. They've got to be active during the offseason to see if they can make it happen before rosters are set.

The FO tried to pawn him off to the Pels in a trade for BI and they simply didn't want the salary.

The likely problem is we have to attach other assets or take on other bad contracts of our own in some of these trade proposals which is unpalatable.

I can see the FO preferring to just pay and play Ochai, who fits our needs at the position and he's looking for a contract next year.

I don’t view RJ the way same way as you, but regardless, if ducking the tax is the #1 goal at the end of the season it won’t be difficult to do.

No reason to make a purely tax-avoidant move this offseason

[HumbleRen]

Unsure how you have any more insight into the Raptors' valuation of RJ than anyone else on this forum. No matter how anyone values RJ, it's safe to assume spending $35 million on a backup centre isn't something in the cards

You’re not paying 33M for a back up center. You’re paying that price to get an expiring 33M off the books by next summer instead of paying RJ 57M + over the next 2 years.

So you want to give Ochai away to get rid of RJ. Give me a freaking break. The team doesn't hate RJ. They hate being at the luxury tax.

Stop the nonsense. Ayton is not the move. The money is wrong.

If you went with Williams your agreement actually has a chance of being logical. And even then Portland would really have to like RJ


RJ to Portland is dumb for both sides.

I mean if they don’t plan to pay Ochai an extension, then yes you would give him away.

Are you telling me our FO would love to keep RJ? Why not extend him right now then? Why try to trade him to the Pelicans?

Reality is, nobody wants a SG who can’t shoot, can’t defend and sucks at finishing at the rim. He looks important to us because we flat out suck as an offensive team. That diminishes when the team actually has aspirations to be a good team.

[S.W.A.N]

You’re not paying 33M for a back up center. You’re paying that price to get an expiring 33M off the books by next summer instead of paying RJ 57M + over the next 2 years.

So you want to give Ochai away to get rid of RJ. Give me a freaking break. The team doesn't hate RJ. They hate being at the luxury tax.

Stop the nonsense. Ayton is not the move. The money is wrong.

If you went with Williams your agreement actually has a chance of being logical. And even then Portland would really have to like RJ


RJ to Portland is dumb for both sides.

I mean if they don’t plan to pay Ochai an extension, then yes you would give him away.

Are you telling me our FO would love to keep RJ? Why not extend him right now then? Why try to trade him to the Pelicans?

Reality is, nobody wants a SG who can’t shoot, can’t defend and sucks at finishing at the rim. He looks important to us because we flat out suck as an offensive team. That diminishes when the team actually has aspirations to be a good team.

I'm not advocating for or against RJ. I think he's a great 6th man or a neutral starter. He's paid slightly above fair value.

You're being dishonest about RJ. He's an average shooter. Good driver, good passer. Negative team defender but neutral man to man. He's not terrible.

RJ's expendable because the last two drafts the BPA was a shooting guard.

Dick and Walter are on rookie contracts and have skillsets (shooting and defense respectively that are more valuable than what RJ provided. RJ is better than either of them right now but when you factor contracts in it becomes obvious that RJ is the odd man out)

RJ has value. You might not agree, but that doesn't make it fact.

RJ will either be used in a deal to consolidate talent (big fish search) or he'll get broken down into more manageable contracts that have better roster fit.

An expiring contract is not that useful for us. And the fact you willing to give up Ochai, a player the team likes to move RJ means you out to lunch.

[Raptors Realtor]

I think Raps really need that "I can get by my man and get you a look at will" type PG. And you don't lose any shooting.

It's worth 1 FPR for sure. You have to believe by 2028 you're almost as good as the Cavs

I think the floor would be 2 FRPS. I’d still do it though. He would be our best PG since Lowry.

Garland is nowhere near the defensive menace that Lowry was.

[HumbleRen]

So you want to give Ochai away to get rid of RJ. Give me a freaking break. The team doesn't hate RJ. They hate being at the luxury tax.

Stop the nonsense. Ayton is not the move. The money is wrong.

If you went with Williams your agreement actually has a chance of being logical. And even then Portland would really have to like RJ


RJ to Portland is dumb for both sides.

I mean if they don’t plan to pay Ochai an extension, then yes you would give him away.

Are you telling me our FO would love to keep RJ? Why not extend him right now then? Why try to trade him to the Pelicans?

Reality is, nobody wants a SG who can’t shoot, can’t defend and sucks at finishing at the rim. He looks important to us because we flat out suck as an offensive team. That diminishes when the team actually has aspirations to be a good team.

I'm not advocating for or against RJ. I think he's a great 6th man or a neutral starter. He's paid slightly above fair value.

You're being dishonest about RJ. He's an average shooter. Good driver, good passer. Negative team defender but neutral man to man. He's not terrible.

RJ's expendable because the last two drafts the BPA was a shooting guard.

Dick and Walter are on rookie contracts and have skillsets (shooting and defense respectively that are more valuable than what RJ provided. RJ is better than either of them right now but when you factor contracts in it becomes obvious that RJ is the odd man out)

RJ has value. You might not agree, but that doesn't make it fact.

RJ will either be used in a deal to consolidate talent (big fish search) or he'll get broken down into more manageable contracts that have better roster fit.

An expiring contract is not that useful for us. And the fact you willing to give up Ochai, a player the team likes to move RJ means you out to lunch.

You can be a good driver and be a bad finisher.

His driving even gets neutralized because he’s shooting a pitiful 62% from the FT line.

His shooting is non existent in the mid range area, he’s objectively one of the worst finishers in the league. I have objective data that backs that up and more importantly, he’s a negative defender.

Why would any competent team want that as their starting SG? I don’t see how he has a positive value? He was a negative asset when he got here, he will leave us as still a negative asset. Nothing has changed in his perception around the league.

[HumbleRen]

I think Raps really need that "I can get by my man and get you a look at will" type PG. And you don't lose any shooting.

It's worth 1 FPR for sure. You have to believe by 2028 you're almost as good as the Cavs

I think the floor would be 2 FRPS. I’d still do it though. He would be our best PG since Lowry.

Garland is nowhere near the defensive menace that Lowry was.

Good thing I said “since Lowry”. Not better than Lowry.