Grading the Trayce Jackson-Davis trade
Toronto finally got a center, trading a 2026 second-round pick via the Los Angeles Lakers to the Golden State Warriors for Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Yes, it was an area of need for Toronto, but does it really help the Raptors out? It’s tough for me to get super excited about this one, as even though the Raptors do need a center, I think they needed someone with more size. TJD is listed at 6-foot-9, the same height as Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jonathan Mogbo. He is already in his third season as an NBA pro and is 25 years old, so he isn’t as young as a one-and-done rookie; in fact, he played a full four seasons in the NCAA with the Indiana Hoosiers. I would grade this a C+, which is much better than the Chris Paul trade, as Toronto actually acquired something meaningful and someone who could actually help them on the basketball court, rather than just financial aid. The cost was low, at just a second-round pick.
But will he actually help?
In some ways, TJD is a traditional old-school centre in the sense that he doesn’t shoot the 3-ball and struggles at the free-throw line (career 56.8 percent shooter at the line). The problem is, he doesn’t have the size of an old-school center, but he has a much burlier build to him than Sandro Mamukelashvili (although there is only a 5-pound difference between the two; Sandro is listed at 240 lbs while TJD is at 245), so maybe he will be able to hold his own down low in the post. Actually, funny enough, he is listed as the same height as Mamu and the same weight as CMB, so perhaps that’s a sign of good things to come for the newest Raptor?
He does shoot well for his career, with a 63.5 field goal percentage, so it’s good to know that TJD knows his role within the team and 5 rebounds per game in 16.6 and 15.6 minutes per game in his first two seasons are exciting for sure. He is a poppy jumper, which the Raptors don’t currently have at the center spot. If he can get back to the 1.1 blocks per game from his rookie season while giving Toronto 5+ rebounds on efficient shooting with hard screens, that would be the dream scenario for Bobby Webster and the Toronto Raptors fanbase. His presence could also push Mamu out to the perimeter as a defender, which could really help Sandro out, as he isn’t the best defender down the block.
Jackson-Davis is a rim runner, which is why he’s been so efficient. Here’s Louis Zatzman analyzing his game previously:
Jackson-Davis is a classic rim-running threat. He gets up high and throws the ball down. A lot. His 94 dunks on the season ranks 11th in the league, and second, third, and fourth place on the Warriors all combine for 94. His dunks don’t usually come via lobs, but when he slips out of picks or handoffs, catches in the short roll after both defenders in the pick and roll go with Curry, or cuts off of split cuts. If he catches fifteen feet from the rim with a runway, he’s going to throw it down.
Jackson-Davis had a run of a bunch of starts early in the 2024-25 season as he started a career high of 37 games for the Golden State Warriors. His most games played came in his rookie season with 68, while also playing a career high of 16.6 minutes per game. Ever since being dropped from the starting lineup, TJD has had a rough time of sticking to the Warriors’ rotation, so perhaps a change of scenery plus the need for a centre can really help out the 25-year-old big. A C+ for now, but maybe he exceeds expectations; nobody has a crystal ball that gives you a definitive answer on TJD’s future.
Your next read: This was the second trade pulled off by Bobby Webster; check out the first one if you missed it!
We’ll see what the plan is for Toronto’s open roster spot. Will Chris Paul fight for a spot in a contending team and try to convince the Toronto Raptors to keep him? Will they trade him for another player? Or will his market be dry like a desert, as the 40-year-old point guard hasn’t touched an NBA court since December 1st of 2025. Will there even be a market for the legendary guard who is set to retire at the end of the season?
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