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Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Sun Jun 1, 2025 4:17 pm
by RealGM Wiretap

The Toronto Raptors have emerged in league circles as a team with ambitions to make a major move this offseason. This maneuvering comes on the heels of their trade for Brandon Ingram at the deadline along with the Boston Celtics expected to take a step back next season due to the Jayson Tatum injury and luxury tax concerns, along with the potential availability of Giannis Antetokounmpo. 


"I don't want to get too far afield from this, but since this has come up, the Raptors are a team that is starting to make noise within the league about looking for a big fish," said Brian Windhorst on Sunday's Hoop Collective Podcast. "And, you know, I think because—and I don't want to get away from this, but I've started it myself—if you're an Eastern Conference team that's in the middle of the pack, you're looking at the teams in front of you going, 'Some of them may not be able to come together, may be able to stay together.' Boston is hurt, and so there are some teams that sniff the ability to make a move, and I think Toronto is one of those teams.


"And so naturally, any team that wants to make a move this summer, especially a team in the Eastern Conference, you're going to have Giannis on the board. But Toronto, I think, is going to try—from their initial conversations, teams in the league are getting the impression that Toronto is going to try to do something.


"I had an executive tell me yesterday that he thinks this could be—could be, could be—an explosive summer. You know, just as Shams [Charania] said the other day, but like, this—you know, this is the whole league. People are saying that this—the amount of activity and calls happening in the league right now is at a much higher volume than has been in years past.


"I know it does not mean it's going to happen, but Toronto is one of those teams that is sitting there on the balls of its feet, which is interesting."


The Raptors have reset their roster around Scottie Barnes over the past few years by letting Fred VanVleet walk in free agency along with their trades of OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. Toronto acquired Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett in the Anunoby trade with the New York Knicks.

Via RealGM Staff Report


Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Sun Jun 1, 2025 5:31 pm
by BigGargamel
Windhorst is the king of using a bunch of words to say pretty much nothing. :lol:

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Sun Jun 1, 2025 5:36 pm
by the_process
Masai going after Giannis is a given. But does Giannis have Toronto on his list?

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Sun Jun 1, 2025 8:26 pm
by ItsDanger
No patience for a rebuild. No surprise.

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Sun Jun 1, 2025 8:44 pm
by dkb964
ItsDanger wrote:No patience for a rebuild. No surprise.


Everyone was saying to blow it up and rebuild after the Raptors kept losing to James and then Ujiji stole Leonard and won a NBA Championship.

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Sun Jun 1, 2025 8:58 pm
by ItsDanger
dkb964 wrote:
ItsDanger wrote:No patience for a rebuild. No surprise.


Everyone was saying to blow it up and rebuild after the Raptors kept losing to James and then Ujiji stole Leonard and won a NBA Championship.

Not everyone. What about this or that is irrelevant to the present.

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Sun Jun 1, 2025 9:03 pm
by dkb964
ItsDanger wrote:
dkb964 wrote:
ItsDanger wrote:No patience for a rebuild. No surprise.


Everyone was saying to blow it up and rebuild after the Raptors kept losing to James and then Ujiji stole Leonard and won a NBA Championship.

Not everyone. What about this or that is irrelevant to the present.


You are saying that Ujiri has no patience for a rebuild when he has proven to win a NBA Championship by not doing so. Go cheer for the Hornets and watch their 10 year rebuild if that is your thing.

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Sun Jun 1, 2025 10:21 pm
by ItsDanger
dkb964 wrote:
ItsDanger wrote:
dkb964 wrote:
Everyone was saying to blow it up and rebuild after the Raptors kept losing to James and then Ujiji stole Leonard and won a NBA Championship.

Not everyone. What about this or that is irrelevant to the present.


You are saying that Ujiri has no patience for a rebuild when he has proven to win a NBA Championship by not doing so. Go cheer for the Hornets and watch their 10 year rebuild if that is your thing.

Revisionist history. Again repeating past events like it guarantees something. Charlotte? LOL.

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Mon Jun 2, 2025 12:20 am
by Up-And-Coming
This sounds like Masai going after his long reported target Joel Embiid to me. Daryl Morey and the Sixers management may be at the point of just rebuilding and trying to shed long-term salary. I won't be surprised if this happens as Embiid's price tag is also at it's lowest and may not get much higher.

RJ Barrett (24)
Jakob Poeltl (only 1 more guaranteed year and a player option after)
Agbaji (24)

..And perhaps a 1st (protected?) if need be. That's a lot less guaranteed long-term money and 2 additional pieces in the same age range as Maxey (24). Not a huge asset haul but it satisfies some rebuilding goals and works in the trade machine.

Quickley
Dick
Ingram
Barnes
Embiid

Is a pretty solid starting lineup as well.

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Mon Jun 2, 2025 4:13 am
by Bk68
It is.
But who you got backing up Embid?

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Mon Jun 2, 2025 12:57 pm
by HotelVitale
dkb964 wrote:
ItsDanger wrote:
dkb964 wrote:Everyone was saying to blow it up and rebuild after the Raptors kept losing to James and then Ujiji stole Leonard and won a NBA Championship.

Not everyone. What about this or that is irrelevant to the present.


You are saying that Ujiri has no patience for a rebuild when he has proven to win a NBA Championship by not doing so. Go cheer for the Hornets and watch their 10 year rebuild if that is your thing.


Yeah but that team was a conference finals regular, and the player they added had an ATG-level playoff run. This team was the like 7th worst in the NBA this season and the chances they can get an ATG guy (for almost nothing) again aren’t great. No one’s saying they shouldn’t try to do something but it’s not as simple as ‘Masai can will any team to greatness.’

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Mon Jun 2, 2025 1:21 pm
by deeps6x
Up-And-Coming wrote:This sounds like Masai going after his long reported target Joel Embiid to me. Daryl Morey and the Sixers management may be at the point of just rebuilding and trying to shed long-term salary. I won't be surprised if this happens as Embiid's price tag is also at it's lowest and may not get much higher.

RJ Barrett (24)
Jakob Poeltl (only 1 more guaranteed year and a player option after)
Agbaji (24)

..And perhaps a 1st (protected?) if need be. That's a lot less guaranteed long-term money and 2 additional pieces in the same age range as Maxey (24). Not a huge asset haul but it satisfies some rebuilding goals and works in the trade machine.

Quickley
Dick
Ingram
Barnes
Embiid

Is a pretty solid starting lineup as well.


Assuming the first would be #9 this year, I still don't think Toronto would do that for broken ass Embiid. Hell, Ingram and Embiid might wind up missing half the season and not even make the playoffs, or play-in tournament. What an epic failure that would be.

But IF it happened, #39 pick would have to be a backup C.

And Walter would be starting, not Dick.

Re: Raptors Making Noise About Pursuing Major Trade

Posted: Tue Jun 3, 2025 9:19 pm
by Up-And-Coming
deeps6x wrote:
Up-And-Coming wrote:This sounds like Masai going after his long reported target Joel Embiid to me. Daryl Morey and the Sixers management may be at the point of just rebuilding and trying to shed long-term salary. I won't be surprised if this happens as Embiid's price tag is also at it's lowest and may not get much higher.

RJ Barrett (24)
Jakob Poeltl (only 1 more guaranteed year and a player option after)
Agbaji (24)

..And perhaps a 1st (protected?) if need be. That's a lot less guaranteed long-term money and 2 additional pieces in the same age range as Maxey (24). Not a huge asset haul but it satisfies some rebuilding goals and works in the trade machine.

Quickley
Dick
Ingram
Barnes
Embiid

Is a pretty solid starting lineup as well.


Assuming the first would be #9 this year, I still don't think Toronto would do that for broken ass Embiid. Hell, Ingram and Embiid might wind up missing half the season and not even make the playoffs, or play-in tournament. What an epic failure that would be.

But IF it happened, #39 pick would have to be a backup C.

And Walter would be starting, not Dick.


Well the pick in this hypothetical would be heavily protected so it wouldn't be the 9th pick. I also put Dick in the starting lineup because he's a better shooter and I'm not sure a lineup with Ja'Kobe + Barnes + Embiid would have enough shooting.

Certainly a lot of injury risk with high upside but considering Masai and Embiid's prior relationship and Masai's past history rolling the dice on Kawhi it seems like the type of move he'd make. In this hypothetical the Raptors aren't sending out a lot of assets so it wouldn't gut their future assets although it does have potential to put a huge wrench in their financial flexibility with all that long-term guaranteed money if Embiid remains sidelined.