ESPN - Trade buzz / Raptors mentioned as potential Flagg-bearer

[Dalek]

Good trade nuggets to digest from Jeremy Woo who was at the G-League Showcase where GMs/scouts were around this past week.
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/43115881/nba-buzz-orlando-g-league-trade-deadline-intel-2025-draft-bronny-james-cooper-flagg

Detroit positioned as a third team in trades. I kind of wish Toronto had this position but yay for having Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk.

Marks: I asked team executives from both conferences to give me one team that controls the Feb. 6 deadline. The answer might surprise you: the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons are the team to watch not because it is in the market for Ingram, Butler or Chicago Bulls' wing Zach LaVine, but because of its $14 million in salary cap space. With nearly a third of the league not allowed to take back additional salary in a trade because of apron restrictions, Detroit is in an ideal position to act as a third team, taking back contracts but with the caveat that draft picks are attached.

Toronto was mentioned as a good destination for Cooper Flagg. I love the fit here even if he isn't showing a ton of scoring, he can change the defense on this team.

Woo: Several league execs have made the point to me that Flagg's development outcomes might hinge on which team he goes to, and even more so than your typical top prospect. A lottery team in need of a long-term No. 1 scorer -- such as the Washington Wizards or the Utah Jazz -- might lean heavily on him to shoulder their offenses. But in a situation such as in New Orleans, Charlotte or Toronto, Flagg might not be relied upon that way early on, and would be allowed to maximize his impact defensively.

Part of the appeal of Flagg is the malleability he might supply -- his versatility allows him to fit almost anywhere. I'm among many, including the execs I heard from in Orlando, who are bullish on him having an excellent career at the next level. "I fully trust in him to maximize every tool he's got," one Eastern Conference scout told me.

Article also mentions Golden State and Denver as being active.

Also worth mentioning that the 2026 draft is growing in hype. AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson are at the top of the list of GMs.

[BoyzNTheHood]

Adam Silver allowing us to get what many believe is, the next great white American superstar is not happening. Is the league rigged? I don't know, but they will definitely pull strings to make sure they get Flagg on a large enough market to sell him to Murica

[MessiahUjiri]

I actually think Dylan Harper is the better fit for this team. He can be a #1 on offense and provide on ball leadership.

[canada_dry]

If a #1 picks success is dependent on who he is drafted by...he's unlikely to be the #1 option type guy that we need imo.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM mobile app

[Scase]

Good trade nuggets to digest from Jeremy Woo who was at the G-League Showcase where GMs/scouts were around this past week.
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/43115881/nba-buzz-orlando-g-league-trade-deadline-intel-2025-draft-bronny-james-cooper-flagg

Detroit positioned as a third team in trades. I kind of wish Toronto had this position but yay for having Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk.

Marks: I asked team executives from both conferences to give me one team that controls the Feb. 6 deadline. The answer might surprise you: the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons are the team to watch not because it is in the market for Ingram, Butler or Chicago Bulls' wing Zach LaVine, but because of its $14 million in salary cap space. With nearly a third of the league not allowed to take back additional salary in a trade because of apron restrictions, Detroit is in an ideal position to act as a third team, taking back contracts but with the caveat that draft picks are attached.

Toronto was mentioned as a good destination for Cooper Flagg. I love the fit here even if he isn't showing a ton of scoring, he can change the defense on this team.

Woo: Several league execs have made the point to me that Flagg's development outcomes might hinge on which team he goes to, and even more so than your typical top prospect. A lottery team in need of a long-term No. 1 scorer -- such as the Washington Wizards or the Utah Jazz -- might lean heavily on him to shoulder their offenses. But in a situation such as in New Orleans, Charlotte or Toronto, Flagg might not be relied upon that way early on, and would be allowed to maximize his impact defensively.

Part of the appeal of Flagg is the malleability he might supply -- his versatility allows him to fit almost anywhere. I'm among many, including the execs I heard from in Orlando, who are bullish on him having an excellent career at the next level. "I fully trust in him to maximize every tool he's got," one Eastern Conference scout told me.

Article also mentions Golden State and Denver as being active.

Also worth mentioning that the 2026 draft is growing in hype. AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson are at the top of the list of GMs.

I don't think Flagg is a great fit tbh, but he's definitely the BPA and we pick him no matter what.

[ForeverTFC]

Don’t understand your Detroit point.

We have the MLE as a trade exception for $13m; we pretty much have the same space as Detroit to take salary into. Note that if you are a cap team, you don’t get the MLE. As a result of operating above the cap, we have pretty much the maximum room you’re allowed to have (max cap space you can have is 10%, MLE is 9% of the cap) as well as trade pieces, giving us more ammo at the deadline.

Can you explain why you find their cap situation enviable?

[Basketball_Jones]

There’s not enough spacing on this roster for Flag I’m thinking him and Scottie are a bad fit (though intriguing).

[DelAbbot]

Adam Silver allowing us to get what many believe is, the next great white American superstar is not happening. Is the league rigged? I don't know, but they will definitely pull strings to make sure they get Flagg on a large enough market to sell him to Murica

It hurts to read this and know it's true

[JB7]

Raptors are in a great position where they really don't have a massive hole. Any team would want the next great superstar, but none of these guys are Wemby potential. But sounds like the top 5 have star potential (a step down from the superstars). So really, Raps are in a position to draft best available, and that player comes into a great situation, where there are a number of guys already carrying the load, and the new rook can just develop at their own pace.

[planetmars]

Don’t understand your Detroit point.

We have the MLE as a trade exception for $13m; we pretty much have the same space as Detroit to take salary into. Note that if you are a cap team, you don’t get the MLE. As a result of operating above the cap, we have pretty much the maximum room you’re allowed to have (max cap space you can have is 10%, MLE is 9% of the cap) as well as trade pieces, giving us more ammo at the deadline.

Can you explain why you find their cap situation enviable?

Detroit has a bit more wiggle room, but the Raptors are definitely in the mix.

Raps have about $9.3M space under the tax. Even if they waive Bruno, they are hard capped at about $10.5M because they used a TPE to bring back Mitchell in the McDaniels trade.

Capsheets.com does a good job laying it all out:
https://www.capsheets.com/toronto-raptors-cap-sheet/

[TorontoBarneys]

Harper/Barnes is the dream.

I just want to watch someone again who is not only showing elite potential on offense but just wants the **** bucket at all costs.

[Zeno]

Don’t understand your Detroit point.

We have the MLE as a trade exception for $13m; we pretty much have the same space as Detroit to take salary into. Note that if you are a cap team, you don’t get the MLE. As a result of operating above the cap, we have pretty much the maximum room you’re allowed to have (max cap space you can have is 10%, MLE is 9% of the cap) as well as trade pieces, giving us more ammo at the deadline.

Can you explain why you find their cap situation enviable?

Detroit has way more trading power than we do from a cap flexibility perspective. Being under the cap, they can make trades that don’t fall in line with trade rules financially. Even once they are over the cap, they have loads of room under the luxury tax to take on contracts for assets in trades, taking on more money than they send out. They’ve got a revolver full of bullets and we got one, maybe too.

[Dalek]

I actually think Dylan Harper is the better fit for this team. He can be a #1 on offense and provide on ball leadership.

I am a big fan of his, but there is issues of fit with RJ who is a driver, and IQ who is the PG. I guess those guys are moveable, I just think Flagg is such an easy fit when the full core is actually playing. Having Flagg, Barnes and Poeltl can cover a lot of defensive mistakes.

[wegotthabeet]

Good trade nuggets to digest from Jeremy Woo who was at the G-League Showcase where GMs/scouts were around this past week.
https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/43115881/nba-buzz-orlando-g-league-trade-deadline-intel-2025-draft-bronny-james-cooper-flagg

Detroit positioned as a third team in trades. I kind of wish Toronto had this position but yay for having Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk.

Marks: I asked team executives from both conferences to give me one team that controls the Feb. 6 deadline. The answer might surprise you: the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons are the team to watch not because it is in the market for Ingram, Butler or Chicago Bulls' wing Zach LaVine, but because of its $14 million in salary cap space. With nearly a third of the league not allowed to take back additional salary in a trade because of apron restrictions, Detroit is in an ideal position to act as a third team, taking back contracts but with the caveat that draft picks are attached.

Toronto was mentioned as a good destination for Cooper Flagg. I love the fit here even if he isn't showing a ton of scoring, he can change the defense on this team.

Woo: Several league execs have made the point to me that Flagg's development outcomes might hinge on which team he goes to, and even more so than your typical top prospect. A lottery team in need of a long-term No. 1 scorer -- such as the Washington Wizards or the Utah Jazz -- might lean heavily on him to shoulder their offenses. But in a situation such as in New Orleans, Charlotte or Toronto, Flagg might not be relied upon that way early on, and would be allowed to maximize his impact defensively.

Part of the appeal of Flagg is the malleability he might supply -- his versatility allows him to fit almost anywhere. I'm among many, including the execs I heard from in Orlando, who are bullish on him having an excellent career at the next level. "I fully trust in him to maximize every tool he's got," one Eastern Conference scout told me.

Article also mentions Golden State and Denver as being active.

Also worth mentioning that the 2026 draft is growing in hype. AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson are at the top of the list of GMs.

I don't think Flagg is a great fit tbh, but he's definitely the BPA and we pick him no matter what.

I’m definitely in the minority here, but I actually love the idea of both him and Barnes at the forward spots despite the potential spacing issues. There’s elite defensive potential there obviously, just need to put the right three players next to them.

[Tha Cynic]

Dylan Harper is who i'm hoping for. Then package Quickly+ for a young big and we're good to go.

[Duffman100]

Dylan Harper is who i'm hoping for. Then package Quickly+ for a young big and we're good to go.

If we could also grab Malauch somehow that would be a dream.

[DelAbbot]

Flagg and Barnes are not ideal fits but they are great passers and can shoot, so they will work out fine

Did people question if Tim Duncan and David Robinson would fit?

[mademan]

Adam Silver allowing us to get what many believe is, the next great white American superstar is not happening. Is the league rigged? I don't know, but they will definitely pull strings to make sure they get Flagg on a large enough market to sell him to Murica

Flagg really isnt the next American superstar. He's a jack of all trades type who could be a Paolo Banchero, but he's not hypvd like a Zion or a Ben Simmons. Nobody really thinks he's gonna be the face of the league like those guys couldve been, so i see no reason Silver wouldnt hand him to us


.......if the draft lotto is rigged

[Tha Cynic]

Flagg and Barnes are not ideal fits but they are great passers and can shoot, so they will work out fine

Did people question if Tim Duncan and David Robinson would fit?

You obviously take best player available. The Raptors need another defensive stud and also a go-to scorer type. They probably can't go wrong with either. It depends on what they project will overall lead to winning more playoff games. Harper looks like he has the best potential to be a guy who can take over games with his scoring, while not being a sieve on defense.

[Bruin]

Adam Silver allowing us to get what many believe is, the next great white American superstar is not happening. Is the league rigged? I don't know, but they will definitely pull strings to make sure they get Flagg on a large enough market to sell him to Murica

Honestly would be fine with it as long as we can get Harper. Love his game