The Toronto Raptors (16-21) have gotten off to a less-than-desirable start to the season and currently sit at 12th in the Eastern Conference.
Although they’re looking outside the playoff and play-in tournament picture, Toronto doesn’t seem likely to blow up the roster and start a rebuild. However, if Raptors president Masai Ujiri decides that tanking is the best long-term option, he could reportedly find a significant haul trading Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.
“Or maybe they go all in and consider trading Siakam and Anunoby for what would likely be massive returns of picks and young talent,” Sportsnet’s Michael Grange wrote. “‘A s—load’ was the ballpark estimate provided by one league insider.”
The Raptors could use that trade to help build a strong roster around reigning Rookie of the Year and SLAM 239 cover star Scottie Barnes.
Siakam is averaging 26.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the field. Anunoby is averaging a career-high 18.6 points per game on 47.1 percent shooting from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc. Siakam is a solid second or third star that any team would like to pair with their superstar duo.
Anunoby has emerged as an intriguing trade candidate and is putting up borderline All-Star numbers as a two-way wing for the Raptors. Siakam and Anunoby have deals that go through the 2023-24 season, with Anunoby carrying a player option for the 2024-25 season.
Barnes is a cornerstone talent for Toronto, and shipping off veterans like Siakam and Anunoby would force Barnes into a more significant role. The Raptors have lost seven of their last 10 games and are 5-18 on the road. They’ve made the postseason in eight of the previous nine seasons and won an NBA title in the 2018-19 campaign.
A decision will likely be made soon as the trade deadline approaches, and Ujiri can’t go wrong with either choice.
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