Raptors Official 2013 Offseason Transaction Idea Thread

[StMikes31]

What's the point of rolling with this team if you know it isn't going to win? Sure we probably would make the playoffs but everything would have to go according to plan and we would just get the 7-8 seed considering all the better teams than us.

Just start the rebuild now. No use in putting icing when the cake is not even baked.

[BAMartian]

cool story bro.

I'm so tired of prepubescent twerps posting comments like this so they can pad their post count while offering nothing of value to the community

"cool story bro" should be an instant ban

[Double Helix]

What's the point of rolling with this team if you know it isn't going to win? Sure we probably would make the playoffs but everything would have to go according to plan and we would just get the 7-8 seed considering all the better teams than us.

Just start the rebuild now. No use in putting icing when the cake is not even baked.

The point with this move would be to see if we could become a 6-4 seed by adding a PF/C like Gasol to the mix. He'd be Jonas backup at C at times and his presence would allow Amir to strengthen the bench at times as well. Our entire 4/5 rotation would be much stronger for a year.

If it works we know that presence was key and perhaps go after a younger player like Cousins with the 19 million expiring in Pau's contract.

[Double Helix]

One of the more persistent rumors last year for Bargnani that didn't involve the Bulls and Boozer involved LA and Pau Gasol.

Andrea Bargnani and Demar Derozan for the final year of Pau Gasol's contract could allow the Raptors to explore this core's contention potential while also giving Masai greater flexibility to blow it all up if the one year all-in attempt didn't result in one of the better Raptors seasons ever.

If it didn't work we would have Pau Gasol's 19 million dollar salary expiring and could start the rebuild sooner than the original 2 year window. In that case, we could do a sign and trade of Kyle and look to trade Rudy as a 1 yr rental. We'd then begin the tank/rebuild sooner.

If it did work and we had a great run we'd be in a better position to decide if we perhaps want to keep moving forward with the core as well. We'd still have Pau Gasol's salary expiring but rather than keep that money and start a rebuild we could make a run at a younger PF/C in Demarcus Cousins who'd be a restricted free agent. We could sell him on stepping right into Pau's old role. We'd have 19 million expiring so we could really force Sacramento's hand there and Masai has show a willingness to spend on troublesome talents (McGee). There are other free agent targets in the summer of 2014 as well (Deron Williams, Paul George, amongst many others).

Pau Gasol is perhaps the best trade target for Masai this offseason because he allows both team tank and team playoffs to decide which course seems better over the next 3-5 years sooner by giving us an impact PF/C for a year and a ton of cap space later on if it doesn't work out to start the rebuild sooner.

Thoughts?

You're basically giving away DeRozan for nothing. I don't like it at all.

Need to sweeten the Bargs deal to make LA like it. The move would toss Ross into the fire and we could see his 3 point shooting in the starting lineup.

More importantly, we'd have 19 million in expiring after the year to decide which direction we'd like to take. And if you can add Cousins long-term that's almost certainly better than Demar over the same span.

[StMikes31]

What's the point of rolling with this team if you know it isn't going to win? Sure we probably would make the playoffs but everything would have to go according to plan and we would just get the 7-8 seed considering all the better teams than us.

Just start the rebuild now. No use in putting icing when the cake is not even baked.

The point with this move would be to see if we could become a 6-4 seed by adding a PF/C like Gasol to the mix. He'd be Jonas backup at C at times and his presence would allow Amir to strengthen the bench at times as well. Our entire 4/5 rotation would be much stronger for a year.

If it works we know that presence was key and perhaps go after a younger player like Cousins with the 19 million expiring in Pau's contract.

Treadmill move if you ask me. This has BC written all over it. We turned the page man, get with it

[Kenyon009]

DeRozan is a bad contract I'd love to get him out of the way especially when you have Gay, a better version of DeRozan, already on the team. Moving Bargnani and DeRozan could allow us to start being more defensive minded and inserting a defensive two into the line up would strengthen the teams perimeter defense. We should get a guy who can help Gay play to his strengths and open up space for Valanciunas, our future 2nd option, as well.

Val
Gasol
Gay
Fields
Lowry

That would be a better line up than what we have and could possibly make a deep playoff run. If you replace Fields with a 3+D shooting guard you'd open up a lot more space down low for our bigs and Gay. Fields however provides options DeRozan can't he's a hustle player that knows where to be at the right time and place. He makes rotations, cuts at appropriate times, and he's a good rebounder.

[Double Helix]

What's the point of rolling with this team if you know it isn't going to win? Sure we probably would make the playoffs but everything would have to go according to plan and we would just get the 7-8 seed considering all the better teams than us.

Just start the rebuild now. No use in putting icing when the cake is not even baked.

The point with this move would be to see if we could become a 6-4 seed by adding a PF/C like Gasol to the mix. He'd be Jonas backup at C at times and his presence would allow Amir to strengthen the bench at times as well. Our entire 4/5 rotation would be much stronger for a year.

If it works we know that presence was key and perhaps go after a younger player like Cousins with the 19 million expiring in Pau's contract.

Treadmill move if you ask me. This has BC written all over it. We turned the page man, get with it

Going from a 34 win team to a 4-6 team would seem underwhelming and treadmill-Ish to you? You do realize that you could tank for 3 years in a row and rise up with that core and NEVER reach 4-6 seed status, right?

The Pacers were a number 8 seed not too long ago and added their own older PF in West and became top 3 and are now in the East Finals right now in game 6.

[Komodo]

Upside and a 33-year-old Pau don't belong in the same sentence. I'd prefer to get a blue-chip prospect to pair with Val. Pau doesn't help lay a foundation for sustainable winning, getting a high pick in the deeply stacked '14 draft does.

[Double Helix]

Upside and a 33-year-old Pau don't belong in the same sentence. I'd prefer to get a blue-chip prospect to pair with Val. Pau doesn't help lay a foundation for sustainable development, getting a high pick in the deeply stacked '14 draft does.

Pau let's us explore what an offensively skilled big could do for this core. If it works well we could probably land Demarcus Cousins or another high profile young talent. 19 million in expiring is a lot. There are some nice FAs next year.

[load management]

I love this as I see both Derozan and Bargniani's contracts as negatives. Gives us an elite pf to play next to Jonas for a year and tons of flexibility otherwise.

[StMikes31]

The point with this move would be to see if we could become a 6-4 seed by adding a PF/C like Gasol to the mix. He'd be Jonas backup at C at times and his presence would allow Amir to strengthen the bench at times as well. Our entire 4/5 rotation would be much stronger for a year.

If it works we know that presence was key and perhaps go after a younger player like Cousins with the 19 million expiring in Pau's contract.

Treadmill move if you ask me. This has BC written all over it. We turned the page man, get with it

Going from a 34 win team to a 4-6 team would seem underwhelming and treadmill-Ish to you? You do realize that you could tank for 3 years in a row and rise up with that core and NEVER reach 4-6 seed status, right?

The Pacers were a number 8 seed not too long ago and added their own older PF in West and became top 3 and are now in the East Finals right now in game 6.

Yes it would be a treadmill move because it's a one year thing. Please tell me what's the point of that? Like we just got a new GM and now guys want to rush and make short sighted moves in order to have one glory year? How the hell do you think we got into this mess of a team anyway? Does that make much sense to you?

We have to look at the big picture here. With TL wanting a championship team and going public not agreeing with Bryan on the make up of the roster, how the hell does he go back on his word and make a run for not even a guaranteed 7-8 seed?

And you just said, we are going to rebuild. Don't you think it's wise on Masai's part to do that right away? The guy got a 5 year deal and has a lot of work to do here, he isn't going to waste time and satisfy fans like you on a one hit wonder. Give me a break.

This press conference needs to come quick because I don't think I can handle all this brutal speculation.

[Rapsobsessed7]

Upside and a 33-year-old Pau don't belong in the same sentence. I'd prefer to get a blue-chip prospect to pair with Val. Pau doesn't help lay a foundation for sustainable development, getting a high pick in the deeply stacked '14 draft does.

Pau let's us explore what an offensively skilled big could do for this core. If it works well we could probably land Demarcus Cousins or another high profile young talent. 19 million in expiring is a lot. There are some nice FAs next year.

I usually agree with you but I hate your argument here. We could add another high profile talent like Cousins, then why wouldn't LAL do that. If the 19 million dollar expiring is as valueable as your making it sound then why would LAL waste it on Derozan & Bargnani. That add 20+ million to their cap in 2014/2015 which eliminates any possibility of a max FA but your saying we could turn around and flip Gasol for better assets. I just don't understand this reasoning. LAL would just take the better deal for themselves.

[Lakonomy]

How is trading our longest contract (DD), and biggest dead weight ($22M/2 yrs for Bargs) for a $23 M expiring that might even be attached to a individual with a pulse a short sighted move?

Sheesh. I'd do this trade in a heartbeat, even if Pau never reported to TO. The point, IMHO, is not to get a productive PF (which we may or may not get in Pau) the point is to get rid of our major salary commitments without having to throw in picks or Acy, Ross or Amir.

We do this trade, we amnesty Kleiza, and suddenly we've got a much cleaner salary cap commitment.

[JYD]

I'd rather amnesty Bargs, then deal DD for something more along the lines of a pick/young guy+filler. Don't see any point in Gasol, especially if we're throwing in DD.

A lot of people think we're going to try and tweak to compete this year, or maybe don't want to take a step back. But to me, the upside of tweaking, vs. a 1 year sacrifice to go lotto and the upside that brings..one of those choices seems ridiculous to me, especially in the context of a GM with a 5 year deal and the cushion the title of EOTY brings.

If you don't think MU would get roasted for tanking for a year, there no reason to not do it. I doubt he would, and he's got the length of contract to go for it, so let's do it. If we get another young star in the draft next year to go with Val, everyone will forget about all of the sideways moves and mediocre players we're talking about now. Time to think a little bigger and get out from BC mediocrity.

[Double Helix]

Treadmill move if you ask me. This has BC written all over it. We turned the page man, get with it

Going from a 34 win team to a 4-6 team would seem underwhelming and treadmill-Ish to you? You do realize that you could tank for 3 years in a row and rise up with that core and NEVER reach 4-6 seed status, right?

The Pacers were a number 8 seed not too long ago and added their own older PF in West and became top 3 and are now in the East Finals right now in game 6.

Yes it would be a treadmill move because it's a one year thing. Please tell me what's the point of that? Like we just got a new GM and now guys want to rush and make short sighted moves in order to have one glory year? How the hell do you think we got into this mess of a team anyway? Does that make much sense to you?

We have to look at the big picture here. With TL wanting a championship team and going public not agreeing with Bryan on the make up of the roster, how the hell does he go back on his word and make a run for not even a guaranteed 7-8 seed?

And you just said, we are going to rebuild. Don't you think it's wise on Masai's part to do that right away? The guy got a 5 year deal and has a lot of work to do here, he isn't going to waste time and satisfy fans like you on a one hit wonder. Give me a break.

This press conference needs to come quick because I don't think I can handle all this brutal speculation.

If the one year wonder works and you could use some of the 19 million to land a Cousins to the mix then perhaps you keep moving forward and up just as Indiana is.

Ask yourself this:

Over the course of a 3-yr rebuild do you think you will do better than:

A 17.5 PER 2-way PG
A 17.5 PER 2-way SF with athleticism to guard the Bron's, George's and Durant's of the league.
A 19.0 PER PF/C

I'd suggest that's easier said than done in 3 consecutive drafts.

A core of Lowry, Rudy, Cousins, Jonas, Ross and Amir is relatively young and talented on both ends of the court. Doing better than that in the draft is easier said than done.

And if Gasol's presence doesn't push us to another level than perhaps nobody can and we simply rebuild.

[JYD]

How is trading our longest contract (DD), and biggest dead weight ($22M/2 yrs for Bargs) for a $23 M expiring that might even be attached to a individual with a pulse a short sighted move?

Sheesh. I'd do this trade in a heartbeat, even if Pau never reported to TO. The point, IMHO, is not to get a productive PF (which we may or may not get in Pau) the point is to get rid of our major salary commitments without having to throw in picks or Acy, Ross or Amir.

We do this trade, we amnesty Kleiza, and suddenly we've got a much cleaner salary cap commitment.

Don't you think you can get more value than an expiring from trading DD straight up? I'm not a big DD fan but no point in poisoning his value with Bargs just to dump Bargs' contract from MLSE's payroll. If we amnesty Bargs, there's a good chance another team would sign him for a few mil and at least pick up 25% or so of the amnesty tab, then you can go ahead and shop DD on his own..I imagine you could get some combo of an expiring and pick in next year's draft for him..where that pick would be I'm not sure..but it would accomplish the goal of getting salary off the cap and likely net a 1st round pick somewhere in a good draft for a GM who seems good at drafting anywhere.

[rove]

This is a reasonable trade in principal - but I think LA would ask for a 1st because of the long term contract and low impact that Demar brings to the game. Also they're trading an expiring top PF/C (albeit old) for lesser players. If one is not a Raptors fan, DD is not a very positive asset. Outside of points gotten by low FG%, he doesn't help the team on other aspects much. As far as Andrea, there's no reason to rip into the Italian any further.

I would be fine with this trade (though would certainly hesitate if LA actually asks for the first) with the stipulation that we're tanking this year. No point in trying to get in playoffs, get blown out, then "restart rebuilding" next season again. Might as well just clear cap, tank, then hope for getting franchise-level players in the draft.

[Komodo]

DH, you think SAC's just going to give Cousins away when he'll be RFA and they can match? C'mon, you know better than that. Overall, Pau is a total bandaid move that does nothing for this team long-term.

How much cap space would we have, exactly? And which UFAs are reasonably attainable? The more detailed the better please.

[magani]

Upside and a 33-year-old Pau don't belong in the same sentence. I'd prefer to get a blue-chip prospect to pair with Val. Pau doesn't help lay a foundation for sustainable development, getting a high pick in the deeply stacked '14 draft does.

Pau let's us explore what an offensively skilled big could do for this core. If it works well we could probably land Demarcus Cousins or another high profile young talent. 19 million in expiring is a lot. There are some nice FAs next year.

I usually agree with you but I hate your argument here. We could add another high profile talent like Cousins, then why wouldn't LAL do that. If the 19 million dollar expiring is as valueable as your making it sound then why would LAL waste it on Derozan & Bargnani. That add 20+ million to their cap in 2014/2015 which eliminates any possibility of a max FA but your saying we could turn around and flip Gasol for better assets. I just don't understand this reasoning. LAL would just take the better deal for themselves.

I swear this is exactly what I was going to post. I went to sign in and came back and saw this rationale. Exactly. That move makes LA a treadmill team which is the worst move for that franchise to be irrelevant for more than a year or two. They are the epitome of going for championships or bust. That Gasol expiring will net them better expiring players at the deadline or create the space to get their max franchise free agent if they let him expire. I don't think Howard is going to sign there. LA will be in worse shape than us pretty soon with Kobe retiring. That team should tank next year and then get their franchise guy in the 2014 draft. Stern will make that happen.

If we are going to make a playoff run with this core next year, it will be for the purpose of increasing their value for future transactions and get a little excitement. I think MU won't do a complete tear down, but get improve the assets by trading for better assets that fit longterm better with Val (longer contracts) and then also for flexibility trade the Derozans for shorter deals that expire with lesser talents. We'll get some good draft picks, clear some cap space in the meantime, build the core and then keep tinkering until we are a true contender. it's not rocket science.

[Double Helix]

Upside and a 33-year-old Pau don't belong in the same sentence. I'd prefer to get a blue-chip prospect to pair with Val. Pau doesn't help lay a foundation for sustainable development, getting a high pick in the deeply stacked '14 draft does.

Pau let's us explore what an offensively skilled big could do for this core. If it works well we could probably land Demarcus Cousins or another high profile young talent. 19 million in expiring is a lot. There are some nice FAs next year.

I usually agree with you but I hate your argument here. We could add another high profile talent like Cousins, then why wouldn't LAL do that. If the 19 million dollar expiring is as valueable as your making it sound then why would LAL waste it on Derozan & Bargnani. That add 20+ million to their cap in 2014/2015 which eliminates any possibility of a max FA but your saying we could turn around and flip Gasol for better assets. I just don't understand this reasoning. LAL would just take the better deal for themselves.

When it comes to planning don't ever assume the other guys have the same plan as you and let it detract you from trying something. Make no mistake. This deal was on the table last year back when LA first thought their core could compete for a title. Now, they know Gasol/Howard isn't ideal. I think they will look to move him this summer.