Windhorst: Raptors making noise around the league looking for a “big fish” // Giannis & Toronto "Mutual Interest"/KD too

[EH15]

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Even after that Windy bomb the odds are not jumping much

Clear to me the Giannis stuff is a smoke screen, and unbelievable. Doug Smith was all I needed for confirmation.

[OakleyDokely]

My hunch is the Bucks ask for too much and he starts the season with the Bucks.

[Duffman100]

My hunch is the Bucks ask for too much and he starts the season with the Bucks.

And fair, they'd need a haul to restart their organization. Right now they're in BIG trouble.

[RapsFanInOhio]

I’m pretty convinced there is no Giannis deal without including Barnes. It just doesn’t make sense.

[Tor_Raps]

I understand Windy first mentioned we're big game hunting but cant believe this blew up like this because of Doug friggin Smith. He knows NOTHING lol

[Fairview4Life]

Someone send Alfred to the airport.

[tdotrep2]

I’m pretty convinced there is no Giannis deal without including Barnes. It just doesn’t make sense.

And tbh, it makes sense on both sides. Giannis and scottie are redundant. We would have more of a chance putting out a contender if we swap scottie preventing having to gut the rest of the roster.

[Kurtz]

Getting FRPs from a team that is going to end up being one of the top teams in the league because of Giannis, means those FRPs have less value. Combined with the fact that the Bucks don't control their own picks, they are better off with a package of Barnes (4th pick), Gradey (13th pick), Ochai (14th pick) and the 2025 9th pick, which can all help the Bucks get back into development mode much quicker, than waiting on FRPs way out into the future that will probably be nowhere near the lottery.

Masai values holding onto the teams own picks, because if a season goes off the rails, they can easily pivot to tanking to get a higher pick. Better to have the control over your own pick, then hoping for another team to fall apart if you have their pick (and they have no incentive to tank).

I mean it’s clear why Masai would want to hold on to future firsts, but the same reason he’d want to hold on to them the same reason the Bucks would want them. You never know where a team will be in 5-6 years from now, having their unprotected firsts is a good gamble to make.

They also give you way more tradable assets, which is valuable for a team like the Bucks with no picks and very little talent. If Scottie/Ochai/Dick is the base package, I don’t see a reason to settle for only one first when you could get unprotected picks/swaps for the next 5 years and still have it be a fair deal.

The Raps only have to beat the next best offer, and if they are offering up young talent like Barnes, Gradey and Ochai, plus the 9th pick, that right there can rebuild 4/5's of the Bucks starting lineup. I think Masai has proven in past deals, trading away all future control of their draft picks is not something he likes to do.

And it just might lineup nicely with the Bucks current situation, where they probably want young players over future draft picks, since they have no incentive to suck right now.

I think Ochai is a guy we'd want to try and hang on to - he's the perfect 3 & D guy to play with Giannis. But he's also a Milwakee native so I can see the Bucks demanding him in the trade.

[ATLTimekeeper]

I understand Windy first mentioned we're big game hunting but cant believe this blew up like this because of Doug friggin Smith. He knows NOTHING lol

There's zero chance Doug has talked to anyone in Giannis' camp. He's the laziest journalist I've ever come across. Masai planting a rumour to get something going is more likely the case.

[Dalek]

Unless we are talking about hockey, no one forces their way to Toronto.

This isn't a great situation to go to being a lotto team for the past two years and your marquee players is like the fourth or fifth best prospects in his class and more of a defensive one at that.

This is just Masai and co. doing the usual. Looking to make waves, taking too long to put the deal together, and likely just used as leverage for the star to go to x team.

If he wants to be in the East Brooklyn has a big market, loads of picks (especially later Knicks picks from the Bridges deal).

If West, Spurs have the best team situation for Giannis and they have draft assets and players that might intrigue Bucks. Can't think of a better restart than Dylan Harper.

[Tha Cynic]

The career of a tier 1 superstar like Giannis is a precious thing - he would be foolish to waste his remaining prime years in Toronto. If the front office had better positioned themselves the last 3+ years in terms of accumulating surplus assets this might've been a conversation. Why would he want to hitch his wagon to an oft-injured Ingram and a bunch of unproven, largely mediocre young guys? Of course from the Raptors POV if he's willing to come you do whatever it takes and figure out the rest later.

Were you not complaining all season about how the Raptors were not bad enough to be worse than Washington and Utah? Now you’re also blaming them for not having enough talent to trade for Giannis? Do you understand how NBA transition periods work when you move from one team to another? Good news is they do have enough to get Giannis. It’s going to come down to what they will give up and if they can build a good team around him, and whether he tells the Bucks he wants to play here.

[JB7]

I'm more than fine dealing Barnes. And quite honestly, I don't even think Barnes/Giannis would work all that well or I should say it wouldn't be Giannis' fully optimal lineup offensively.


Giannis wants to be the sole downhill initiator from his end of season comments. He would have BI and IQ on the side and we would need another 3 and D guy

They had RJ playing the right way when he first came to the Raps, focusing on open 3's and just slashing to the basket. That went out the window last year with sitting so many players. But I think that efficiency could come back in a lineup with Giannis, BI & IQ.

I think RJ is a player worth holding onto, because Giannis is going to need guys that can get a bucket in the crunch, and I would think that would be left to BI and RJ.

You need defense and 3's and good free throw shooting to compliment. The defense got better but still not at the level we need. If Giannis comes, I would gladly deal RJ - if not to Bucks if they dont want him then to someone else.

I would think they try it with RJ first, and then look to trade if it doesn't work.

But the deal I have been saying for awhile that I think makes sense is Barnes ($38.6M), Dick ($5M), Agbaji ($6.4M), 9th pick (~$6M), and another FRP (and maybe a swap or two) for Giannis ($54M). Bucks rebuild their starting lineup with youth (9th pick could be a PG or C with what is available in the draft at 9).

Raps lineup:
C) Poeltl (Mogbo)
PF) Giannis
SF) Ingram (Battle)
SG) RJ (JKW)
PG) IQ (Shead)

The cheap bench helps offset the expensive starting lineup, to stay close to the 1st apron. I could see them run that out for at least half a season to see if if works.

All of those players would be locked in for the next 2 seasons, so expiring contracts and salary demands won't get in the way.

[YogurtProducer]

My hunch is the Bucks ask for too much and he starts the season with the Bucks.

And fair, they'd need a haul to restart their organization. Right now they're in BIG trouble.

No 2025 or 2029 picks
2026 and 2028 swapped with NOP
2030 swapped to POR

Like jesus. They literally cant tank so they might be a team who values players coming back more than picks.

As per Fanspo, their future picks they own are:
2025 #47
2026 lesser of MIL and NOP
2027 lesser of MIL NOP
2028 some confusing swaps
2030 lesser of MIL and POR
2031 1st
2031 2nd

GROSS. They legitimately might not get a lottery pick for 7 years. Their next lottery pick is like 11 years old right now.

[OakleyDokely]

I think KD is the sneaky play. You'd be able to get him without giving up Barnes and people are sorta forgetting he had a very productive season despite the Suns disaster of a season. Nearly 27 PPG on 53/43/84 splits and he's averaged about 68 games played over the past couple years.

[junot111]

Scottie is the last guy I'd trade for Giannis.

We found Pensare's burner account!

Was a lil comprehension test.

It's pretty simple: everyone is on the table for Giannis, but Scottie is the last guy I'd want to trade.

I hope we can build a package that doesn't include Scottie.

Didn't say I wouldn't trade Scottie for Giannis

But why? What's the point of trading for Giannis if you insist on keeping the player who's least compatible with him on the floor?

[JustBuzzin]

What would a offer even look like for Giannis?

[ishoy123]

I think KD is the sneaky play. You'd be able to get him without giving up Barnes and people are sorta forgetting he had a very productive season despite the Suns disaster of a season. Nearly 27 PPG on 53/43/84 splits and he's averaged about 68 games played over the past couple years.

Not that you should optimize fit for Ingram, but Durant and Ingram do not complement each other well at all

[tecumseh18]

I think the Bucks would prefer young talent they can plug into their lineup right away as opposed to unknown picks 3-5 years from now. Barnes+9 is a pretty strong core structure of a deal.

Yeah, and I see no need to give away a bunch of future draft picks AND Barnes. To build around Giannis, we need to keep the future picks as draft capital going forward.

Contract matching is the problem. Barnes will make $38.7 mill when July 1 ticks over. Giannis $54.1 mill. So Raps need to add 14 mill or so, plus whatever bad contract (not Dame! not Kuzma!) Bucks want to dump on us. P-Conn's 9.4 mill for one more season, maybe.

So Barnes and Barrett for Giannis and Connaughton? Do we need to add #9 into that? B&B+9 seems like a lot.

[Kurtz]

Unless we are talking about hockey, no one forces their way to Toronto.

This isn't a great situation to go to being a lotto team for the past two years and your marquee players is like the fourth or fifth best prospects in his class and more of a defensive one at that.

This is just Masai and co. doing the usual. Looking to make waves, taking too long to put the deal together, and likely just used as leverage for the star to go to x team.

If he wants to be in the East Brooklyn has a big market, loads of picks (especially later Knicks picks from the Bridges deal).

If West, Spurs have the best team situation for Giannis and they have draft assets and players that might intrigue Bucks. Can't think of a better restart than Dylan Harper.

There's no question that the Spurs and Rockets have superior trade pieces and enough talent to surround him with. But the West will run through OKC for the next several years, and maybe Denver too if they can add just a couple of decent starters.

The East, on the other hand, is wide open, and I'm sure Giannis sees that. And while Brooklyn has the picks, I can't see what they can possibly surround him with right now to make them an instant contender.

[Son Goku 25]

How come no one talking about KD and Giannis talking about teaming up in TO? Or was that a fake report by Mark lol