Three burning questions facing the Raptors ahead of two crucial weeks

The Toronto Raptors are entering a crucial two-week stretch which will define how the 2024-2025 season will ultimately be viewed.

With the draft less than a week away, free agency moratorium beginning on July 1, and trade season already underway, there are three burning questions facing the Raptors with a multitude of options seemingly on the table.

1. Will/should the Raptors make a big-time trade?

Masai Ujiri and co. have seemingly been very active in trade talks this offseason, being rumoured to be in the mix with Giannis Antetokounmpo if he were to become available and Kevin Durant, who by all accounts, is very available.

Per Jake Fischer, Toronto has been linked to the former Most Valuable Player and two-time champion.

“Toronto has likewise been painted by numerous NBA figures as a potential trade suitor for Durant… particularly if Antetokounmpo doesn’t reach the open market. The Raptors, furthermore, would figure to have a more realistic shot at assembling a competitive trade offer for Durant compared to the mammoth offers that the Bucks would inevitably seek for Antetokounmpo’s services.”

Also, per Fischer, Toronto is open to dealing numerous assets to make it happen.

“Sources say that the Raptors would be willing to part with either RJ Barrett and/or Immanuel Quickley for a significant roster upgrade. Several league figures with knowledge of the Raptors’ thinking have likewise asserted that they could show a willingness to move centre Jakob Poeltl as well … provided that the trade in question brought back Durant.”

Brian Windhorst, who got the ball rolling back on the June 1 episode of “The Hoop Collective Show,” said that “the Raptors are a team that is starting to make noise in the league about looking for a big fish.” Windhorst also stated that the Raptors were open to trading the No.9 pick for Kevin Durant on Get Up recently.

Other names have been thrown around, like Ja Morant or Domantas Sabonis, but Toronto seems to be firmly in the mix for Durant despite not being on his preferred trade list.

So, does a Kevin Durant trade make sense? As for what an offer would look like, to make the math work, the Raptors would have to include one of Immanuel Quickley or RJ Barrett, along with Jakob Poeltl, plus whatever else on top, whether it’s a combination of picks or another player like Ochai Agbaji.

On one hand, despite being 36 years old, Durant was still super effective last season. The Washington D.C. native averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.0 stocks last season across 62 games with the Suns while shooting 52.7 percent from the field, 43.0 percent from three, and 83.9 percent from the charity stripe. Durant would add some real size to Toronto’s frontcourt that hasn’t been there since the trades of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, while also adding a boatload of half-court creation that Canada’s team has sorely been missing.

On the other hand, the 6-foot-11 forward is entering the final year of a four-year contract, where he is set to earn nearly $55-million. There is no guarantee he would sign back, and if he doesn’t, it could be considered too early to consolidate those previously mentioned assets (though Toronto will have to at some point).

Whether Toronto holds its cards or pushes its chips towards the middle of the table, they’re seemingly sniffing around and want to compete sooner rather than later.

2. Who will the Raptors select at ninth overall?

With all the trade discussion, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the NBA draft is only a handful of days away and that Toronto holds a top 10 selection. There are multiple routes the Raptors could go with this pick, from which player to take or whether they’ll even make the selection at all.

Per Jake Fischer, the Dino’s pick could be potentially on the move.

“Toronto’s No.9 is the most likely top-10 pick to be traded, said Fischer.

“Anticipation that the Raptors will part with it has also been fuelled by [Khaman] Maluach being drafted before Toronto gets the chance. Word is that the Raptors are evaluating fives that would be available later in the first round; I’ve been told Danny Wolf and Asa Newell are two prime candidates.”

If they were to stick and pick, however, per Fischer once more, they would be interested in a certain position.

“Raptors have left teams with the impression that they covet multiple bigs, while also being high on Duke centre Khaman Maluach.”

So Maluach has been tabbed as a potential option if he is there. The 18-year-old averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 39 games in his one and only season at Duke, while measuring at a near 7-foot-1, 253 pounds, with a gigantic almost 7-foot-7 wingspan.

Derik Queen is another potential big option who interviewed with the Raptors at the combine. The 20-year-old averaged 16.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.2 stocks, and 1.9 assists in his freshman season at Maryland. While maybe not a traditional big like Maluach, Queen offers an interesting blend of offensive skill and movement ability that is hard to come by at the centre position.

Toronto has worked out plenty of other options as well, with projected first-round picks Nolan Traore, Egor Demin, Jase Richardson, and Collin Murray-Boyles (unconfirmed) all coming in.

Whoever the pick may be, the Raptors might be looking at a more win-now selection compared to a longer-term project, per Kevin O’Connor.

“Many executives around the NBA expect the Raptors to lean toward selecting a player that can help the team win games in the short term with this pick, rather than a raw project.”

3. Who should the Raptors target in free agency?

The Raptors might not be major players in free agency, given their roster spot and money situation. Coming into the draft, Toronto has two standard roster spots open and one two-way slot. For argument’s sake, assuming Toronto keeps picks both nine and 39, the Raptors would be left with either one roster spot or the open two-way slot, depending on what contract the 39th overall selection signs

If the 39th pick takes the two-way slot, that would leave one roster spot open with the team over the tax threshold by about $200,000. Toronto could leave its roster as it is in the scenario with the open roster spot and try to duck under the tax line by the end of the season.

The second-round pick could sign a standard deal, on the flip side, however, similar to Jonathan Mogbo and Jamal Shead’s deals last offseason and leave a two-way slot open.

Ultimately, there are multiple routes Toronto’s roster can go, but regardless, they will be up against the tax and will more than likely try to get under by season’s end.

Toronto will more than likely not make a bigger signing because of the money situation and the roster basically set. If there were to be a trade, however, names like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Lonnie Walker IV, Luke Kornet, and Jake LaRavia would be relatively inexpensive free agent options.

The post Three burning questions facing the Raptors ahead of two crucial weeks first appeared on Raptors Republic.