Category: Play

Here's a plan for the Raptors going forward, focused on getting all players who are the best 3PT shooters, deprioritizing great athletic defenders unless they'll shoot great too, and leave passing for the best passers on the team to setup 3PT shooters.

Strategy

TLDR - Shooting Yes, Defense Less, Passing Bests

• Build the team around everyone being a great shooter except for Barnes and Chomche
• So, focus less on defense, with defense being best possible only IF they can shoot great
• Put ball in hands of natural best passers like Barnes/Quickley, Mitchell/Mogbo for now
• So, focus less on everyone needing to pass in future, less turnovers, and 3PT specialists
• Keep PG/SG/SF/PF/C players who can be 40% 3PT shooters, defense 2nd skill hopefully
• Keep PF/C players who can be 35% 3PT shooters, defense 2nd skill important for C

Plan

TLDR - Lose This Year, Trade Poor Shooters, Get Great Shooters

• Lose for 1 year and get high 2025 draft pick
• Trade veterans and all poor shooters for young players/picks who are best shooters
• Play the young players more so you lose this year
• Make everyone take catch and shoot 3s, even Mitchell/Mogbo/Chomche/etc.
• Focus on getting the best young 3PT shooters
• Get best defense you can while having everyone shoot, and only great passers pass
• 2024 Raptors Draft Trade Idea

Shooting - Must Have 1st Skill (Upgrade defense after offense)

• I strongly believe that great shooters now win championships and are best players
• Lowry, Green, Kawhi, Gasol, VanVleet, Powell, Ibaka, Anunoby could all really shoot
• Getting young players for future who are exceptional shooters might be key
• The reason VanVleet was so undervalued was maybe his great 3PT shooting

Defense - Maybe Have 2nd Skill (Management likes too much?)

• Upgrade defense with 3-and-D players only after great offense with all 3PT shooters
• I wonder if team is again making mistake of too much defense, not enough shooting
• Defense is good to have, but not necessary for all players, and not if they can't shoot
• You likely only "need" 3 great defenders out there, one G, one F, and C or small ball C

Passing - Don't Need 3rd Skill (Coaching likes too much?)

• Leave the passing more to your best players, passers, and scorers, like Barnes/Quickley
• Not many players are great at 3 things, focus on shooting first, and defense second
• Focus on other players being great 40% 3PT shooters who take catch-and-shoot 3PTs
• You likely only "need" 2 great passers out there who can also score, one G and one F

Lineup - Current Depth Chart (Preferred Spots With Roster)

• PG - Quickley - Mitchell - Shead
• SG - Barrett - Dick - Temple
• SF - Brown - Walter - Mogbo
• PF - Barnes - Agbaji - Boucher
• C - Poeltl - Olynyk - Fernando
• 2W - Chomche - Battle - Carton

Keep - Keep Until Priceless/Worthless (Olynyk For Salary)

• Scottie Barnes - Want Scottie to be near worst 3PT shooter on team or top 9 players
• Immanuel Quickley - 40% 3PT shooter
• Ulrich Chomche - Potential 35% 3PT shooter big man
• Ja'Kobe Walter - Chance to be 40% 3PT shooter
• Gradey Dick - Chance to be 40% 3PT shooter
• Kelly Olynyk - Good shooter, and passing/veteran/Canadian/salary match are bonuses

Maybe - Keep But Maybe Trade Future (Play Now To ^ Value)

• RJ Barrett - Maybe trade for young 42.5% shooting PG and/or better 2-Way PF/SF 40%
• Davion Mitchell - Might not buy as 40% 3PT shooter, poor rebounder, good passer
• Ochai Agbaji - Might not buy as 40% 3PT shooter, like better at SG than SF, have SGs

No - Get Rid Of Or Trade Soon (Not Future Rotation Pieces)

• Jakob Poeltl - Can't shoot
• Bruce Brown - Not a good enough shooter
• Chris Boucher - Not a good enough shooter
• Bruno Fernando - Can't shoot
• Jamal Shead - Can't shoot, likely won't be 40% 3PT shooter, trade if gains any value
• Jonathan Mogbo - Can't shoot, Scottie's friend and upside like Barnes on the bench

Extra - Specific Player Notes (They're Good, But Shoot/Fit?)

• Agbaji - I like better at SG, and he's expendable with Barrett, Walter, Dick as SG scorers
• Shead - I get he'll push others in practice, but should even 3rd stringers be shooters?
• Poeltl - I get he's great, but I still don't like players who can't shoot at all, even at C
• Mitchell - Great trade, but I'd rather a 40% 3PT shooter who is next Quickley/VanVleet
• Mogbo - Could be awesome, but is playing Barnes and Mogbo together great shooting?
• Barrett - I like better at SG, and playing Barnes or a better 2-Way player/defender at SF

Update - November 19th, 2024

• Moved Agbaji from No to Maybe - Has shown the potential to shoot 3PT, which is key
• Moved Mogbo from Maybe to No - Double down on requiring shooting over athletes
• Agbaji - He is the type of player wanted for defense, as long as could shoot 40% 3PT
• Mogbo - I resisted criticizing a recent high draft pick with such high potential initially
• Defense like Agbaji is still highly desired second, but only if they can shoot great first
• Passing like Mogbo is still very desired third, but only if they could shoot good first

I think Alperen Sengun should play the PF position alongside a defensive center. He is an offensive force and a great playmaker who fits better as a point forward that focuses on offense, and he is not a great defensive rim protector or a big rebounding center.

I think "Lion" or "The Lion" would be a great nickname for Scottie Barnes.

• He attacks at close range but can surprise you from distance
• He is fast and can glide across the court at high speeds
• He has the size and skills to be a King Of The Jungle
• He works together with a coalition and likes to Roarrrr
• He protects the other players and people that are in his team
• The nickname isn't too well-known or used by someone else

I wonder if Raptors may be too good to get high 2025 pick, especially with Poeltl/Brown/Boucher. Mitchell/Agbaji/Vezenkov/Olynyk are older. Mogbo/Shead/Carlson are older prospects who can play now. Dick/Walter are young but can shoot. Barnes/Quickley/Barrett are poised to breakout.

• Jordan 3, Pippen 5, Grant 10, *Harper 8
• Robinson 1, Elliott 3, Duncan 1
• Tatum 3, Brown 3, Smart 6, *Irving 1
• DeRozan 8, Valanciunas 5, Ross 8
• Curry 7, Thompson 11, Barnes 7, *Bogut 1
• Barnes 4, ???, ???, *Barrett 3

Notes

• My 2024 draft trade idea
• Shooting & defense with Barnes
• Get younger with Reed/Jabari
• Lose 1 year, get high 2025 pick

Rockets

• Jakob Poeltl
• Bruce Brown
• Chris Boucher

Raptors

• Reed Sheppard (2024 #3)
• Jabari Smith
• Steven Adams
• Jeff Green
• Jae Tate

Here are my predictions for the 2023-2024 NBA standings, ranked by western and eastern conferences.

Western Conference

• 1 - Phoenix Suns
• 2 - Denver Nuggets
• 3 - Golden State Warriors
• 4 - New Orleans Pelicans
• 5 - Oklahoma City Thunder
• 6 - Sacramento Kings
• ----
• 7 - Los Angeles Clippers
• 8 - Dallas Mavericks
• 9 - Minnesota Timberwolves
• 10 - Houston Rockets
• ----
• 11 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 12 - Portland Trail Blazers
• 13 - Memphis Grizzlies
• 14 - San Antonio Spurs
• 15 - Utah Jazz

Eastern Conference

• 1 - Boston Celtics
• 2 - Milwaukee Bucks
• 3 - Philadelphia 76ers
• 4 - Toronto Raptors
• 5 - Cleveland Cavaliers
• 6 - Miami Heat
• ----
• 7 - Indiana Pacers
• 8 - Atlanta Hawks
• 9 - Brooklyn Nets
• 10 - New York Knicks
• ----
• 11 - Chicago Bulls
• 12 - Detroit Pistons
• 13 - Orlando Magic
• 14 - Charlotte Hornets
• 15 - Washington Wizards

Here is a summary of the general strengths and weaknesses of Raptors management over the last 10 years, using the benefit of hindsight to note possible major successes and mistakes.

Foresight And Future Of Raptors

• Idea - Raptors management, scouts, and analysts have had outstanding foresight

Because the Raptors management, scouts, analysts, and coaches have done such an amazing job selecting and developing players, the Raptors should still have a good team this year and going forward, even after losing VanVleet in free agency. Overall, the Raptors have had an otherworldly level of decision making, player development, and culture creation in the last 10 years. The Raptors have nailed and appropriately developed more lower draft picks they have made than possibly every other team, not to mention undrafted players. That, along with many other reasons, is why they have the second most wins of any team in the NBA over the last 10 years, while enjoying an incredible run from 2013-2023. The Warriors are the team with the most wins, and it took the Raptors beating them in the Final to get the Raptors their championship.

As I see it, the Raptors and Ujiri have had amazing foresight and good decision making in some general areas from 2013-2023. These areas which have traditionally been great strengths include:

• Reset Trades - Trading away a poor contract or player to improve - Anthony, Bargnani, Gay
• Like Trades - Making trades for key players who they like - Ibaka, Leonard, Trent, Poeltl
• Rebuilding - Rebuilding and growing a lower ranked team from scratch with no stars
• Developing - Developing all players well beyond their expected ability and value
• Drafting - Drafting good players who they like - Wright, Siakam, Anunoby, Barnes
• Signing - Signing undrafted and free agent role players who they like - VanVleet, Boucher
• Patience - Being patient while players and the team go through ups and downs
• Chemistry - Creating a culture of team chemistry, working together, and having fun

Foresight Improved With Hindsight

• Idea - Raptors management can be better by improving key weaknesses and mistakes

The fact that the Raptors have been such a good organization with exceptional player development and decision making overall does not mean that big mistakes have not been made, or that the team could not be situated much better for the present and future without those key mistakes. Firstly, I wonder if the Raptors have done a poor job seeing when they should trade away good players they like for future young players and picks. Their inability to make trades for the future is highlighted by what I see as two of the biggest asset management mistakes that the team has made from 2013-2023, with Lowry and VanVleet, which I write about in detail below. Secondly, I wonder if the Raptors have not capitalized on their excellent development of players and depth by trading away multiple players for a great player or future star player. They did accomplish this at least once, with solid results, with the trade of Valanciunas, Wright, and Miles for Gasol. However, they could have more often used their depth to take a gamble by trading 2, 3, or 4 players away to get 1 or 2 great or potentially great players for today or the future.

I might be wrong, but I wonder if these two general weaknesses, along with a couple of the major mistakes resulting from them, have significantly weakened the current and future potential of the Raptors team from what it could have been. The Raptors organization has had many more strengths and good decisions as opposed to weaknesses, poor decisions, and indecisions in the era from 2013-2023. However, the Raptors could have capitalized much better on their strengths of growing, developing, and drafting players if they had traded their good players that they liked in Lowry and VanVleet at the proper time, for some good young players and draft picks. They also could have used their strengths of developing, drafting, and depth to trade away multiple good players they like for a great player or future star player. Having patience is to be lauded, but indecision or inaction at the wrong times can also lead to poor results as well. Sometimes only hindsight allows one to reveal and recognize true weaknesses and mistakes which one can improve on to get better in the future.

As I see it, the Raptors and Ujiri have had some major mistakes, poor decision making, and indecision or inaction in some general areas from 2013-2023. These areas, which may have been weaknesses and could possibly be improved in the future, include:

• Future Trades - Trade players they like for great young players and picks - Lowry, VanVleet
• Depth Trades - Trade multiple players from depth into a great player or future star player

Hindsight And Mistake #1 - Lowry

• Idea - Raptors should have traded Lowry in 2020 offseason

The Raptors had a great 2019-2020 season. Masai decided that the team would "Run it back" before the season began. Lowry and VanVleet started together, which appeared to be a good decision by Nick Nurse, as VanVleet was a superior player to Powell and it allowed a great amount of ball handling and passing in the lineup, along with Siakam and Gasol. The team was exceptional again, even though they had lost Kawhi.

After this season, the Raptors should have started to move on a bit to the younger group and trade Lowry in the offseason. VanVleet was clearly ready to be the starting point guard, and Lowry and VanVleet were not the best pairing for another full season anyway. Lowry had a bounce back year points wise since Kawhi was gone, and was coming off being a 6-time straight All-Star at about age 33, so the Raptors could have gotten some good players and picks for him with a full year left on his contract. By trading Lowry's big contract for young players and picks, the Raptors could have signed and kept a center in either Ibaka or Gasol. In that way, they could have moved on from the older Lowry and Gasol, but still kept a center with experience and a good team together, but be younger and with some draft assets or young players built up by trading their star player in Lowry.

The lineup, not even including any great young player the Raptors might have gotten for Lowry, could have looked something like VanVleet, Anunoby, Siakam, Boucher, Ibaka. Or VanVleet, Powell, Anunoby, Siakam, Ibaka. Both Powell and Boucher had amazing seasons in 2019-2020 and were pushing to be starters. Boucher actually led the team in Win Shares according to Basketball Reference in the upcoming 2020-2021 season, an amazing feat, playing 24 minutes a game off the bench. I proposed an unlikely trade where the Raptors might have gotten the 2nd and 3rd picks in the draft for Lowry, and also suggested they take LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton with the picks, as an example.

What I have heard many people say and report is that the Raptors could not get much for Lowry at the 2020-2021 deadline, so they decided against trading him. I agree. I'm suggesting the mistake was not that Lowry was not traded at the deadline, but that the Raptors should have had the foresight to trade him in the previous offseason, a year before he was actually traded. Star players should be traded in the offseason, and older players should be traded before their value is diminished. Often this will be when the player has one year remaining on their contract, as was the case with Lowry.

Raptors 2020 and future strategy and lineup

Hindsight And Mistake #2 - VanVleet

• Idea - Raptors should have traded VanVleet in 2022 offseason

The Raptors had a solid bounce-back 2021-2022 season, finishing strong to get into 5th spot in the East, after finishing 12th the previous year. Barnes won rookie of the year and VanVleet was an All-Star for the first time. Siakam, who missed the start of the season with shoulder surgery, made an All-NBA team.

Before the start of the 2021-2022 year, Doug Smith wrote what seemed to be a very credible and informed piece in the Toronto Star after the Kyle Lowry trade. It laid out what appeared to be a vision for the future of the team, saying "They'd like a team of young, athletic players who are interchangeable for the most part, in a game growing more positionless by the season, and it’s a process to put that in place. Not a quick process, either, despite the sense that free agency began and ended in the first 36 hours."

After this season, the Raptors should have continued with their vision and traded VanVleet in the offseason, especially after he did not sign an extension immediately. VanVleet was coming off being an All-Star for the first time, increasing his value a fair amount. So again, like Lowry two years before, if the Raptors had the foresight to trade VanVleet in that offseason, they could have picked out and gotten some good young players or picks that they were interested in for him.

I do want to mention that there was another option in this current 2023 offseason which was available and could have allowed the Raptors to get value for one of their star players without losing them for nothing. If the Raptors did want to end up paying and keeping VanVleet instead of Siakam, maybe because he was such a great shooter and leader, they probably still could have. Instead, they could have proactively chosen to trade Siakam this offseason, possibly before free agency, freeing up money to sign VanVleet. In trading Siakam they likely could have gotten a better trade and assets and traded away the weaker shooter, so there were also positives for choosing VanVleet over Siakam.

Instead though, they chose not to trade Siakam in order to keep VanVleet instead. Then they ended up letting VanVleet walk this year, instead of choosing to trade him a year ago in the offseason, when they could have capitalized on his All-Star year and had the foresight to see they might not be able to keep him after he did not sign an extension right away in the 2022 offseason.

The Kyle Lowry deal will set off a chain reaction

Here are my predictions for the 2022-2023 NBA standings, ranked by western and eastern conferences.

Western Conference

• 1 - Denver Nuggets
• 2 - Minnesota Timberwolves
• 3 - Los Angeles Clippers
• 4 - Golden State Warriors
• 5 - New Orleans Pelicans
• 6 - Phoenix Suns
• ----
• 7 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 8 - Memphis Grizzlies
• 9 - Dallas Mavericks
• 10 - Sacramento Kings
• ----
• 11 - Portland Trail Blazers
• 12 - Houston Rockets
• 13 - Utah Jazz
• 14 - Oklahoma City Thunder
• 15 - San Antonio Spurs

Eastern Conference

• 1 - Brooklyn Nets
• 2 - Philadelphia 76ers
• 3 - Toronto Raptors
• 4 - Boston Celtics
• 5 - Atlanta Hawks
• 6 - Milwaukee Bucks
• ----
• 7 - Cleveland Cavaliers
• 8 - Miami Heat
• 9 - Chicago Bulls
• 10 - Indiana Pacers
• ----
• 11 - Charlotte Hornets
• 12 - Detroit Pistons
• 13 - Orlando Magic
• 14 - Washington Wizards
• 15 - New York Knicks

Here are my ideas and strategy for the potential lineup, depth chart, and final roster spots for the Toronto Raptors going into the 2022 season, now that they are heading into training camp.

This takes some points from the main ideas I previously noted in "Raptors 2022 offseason lineup changes", which I wrote shortly after the end of the season. They did follow a few of my ideas from that article already, including resigning Boucher, drafting a versatile and athletic center, and signing Champagnie to an NBA deal for now at least. And there have been some rumblings about Achiuwa having an increased role or even possibly starting as I had also crazily suggested.

Notes

• Make Achiuwa a starter and move Trent to the bench
• Give Hernangomez the 14th spot as I always thought he would make team
• Give Jackson the 15th spot over Champagnie as he is athletic and versatile
• Move Champagnie down to a 2W spot and Dowtin to Raptors 905 contract
• Make Flynn the backup PG because of good shooting and assists/turnover
• Play Koloko a lot as a main bench player in the first half of the season

Extras

• I wonder if Achiuwa's role should eventually be a 3-and-D small forward
• I wonder if Banton's role should eventually be a playmaking shooting guard
• Play the bench players much more this year and develop the young guys
• They likely can't, but try to keep Trent on bench always so he can get 6th man
• If Trent starts, the bench in my second lineup is a HUGE switchable lineup
• Thaddeus Young could be a possible small ball center over Koloko sometimes

Roster

• Tier 1 - Siakam, Barnes, Anunoby, VanVleet
• Tier 2 - Trent, Achiuwa, Koloko, Porter, Boucher
• Tier 3 - Flynn, Banton, Young, Jackson, Hernangomez
• Tier 4 - Champagnie, Birch, Harper

Lineup 1

• PG - VanVleet - Flynn - Banton
• SG - Anunoby - Trent - Jackson
• SF - Barnes - Porter - Young
• PF - Siakam - Boucher - Hernangomez
• C - Achiuwa - Koloko - Birch
• 2W - Champagnie - Harper

Lineup 2

• PG - VanVleet - Banton - Flynn
• SG - Trent - Porter - Jackson
• SF - Anunoby - Achiuwa - Young
• PF - Barnes - Boucher - Hernangomez
• C - Siakam - Koloko - Birch
• 2W - Champagnie - Harper

We'll now see if Nurse and company makes any of the other suggestions this year in either this article or my previous one, including moving Trent to the bench, playing Koloko a lot, and playing Flynn more this year than last year. Of course Flynn will be in a battle with Banton and it could go either way. I could also see a trade happening like Birch, Flynn, and a second round pick for Cam Reddish. A smaller trade like that would open up a roster spot to keep both Jackson and Champagnie on the roster, and Dowtin as a 3rd point guard behind Banton.

I also like the signings of Porter, Hernangomez, and Jackson, and that they didn't commit to two years like they have previously with players of their ilk. Porter is worth the two years of course. I find it particularly interesting that they have added a ton of versatile and athletic height since trading Lowry at the start of the previous season. Achiuwa, Barnes, Banton, and Young came the previous season. And now they kept Young and Boucher this offseason and potentially add Koloko, Porter, Hernangomez, and Jackson to make 6 tall and versatile signings to their main roster this offseason. That would leave VanVleet, Flynn, and Trent as the only remaining guys under 6'7" and they now have much more height overall than just a couple of seasons ago.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, what is the fairest trade for all?

Raptors

• Kevin Durant
• Kyrie Irving

Nets

• Pascal Siakam
• Gary Trent Jr.
• Khem Birch
• Malachi Flynn
• Svi Mykhaliuk
• Armoni Brooks
• 1st 2023, 2025
• Swap 2024

Here is a potential trade I like for the Raptors to get a player in the draft lottery this year. The Kings, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Wizards all might be teams they could potentially trade with to get Daniels, or someone else if they prefer.

Raptors

• Dyson Daniels - 7th Pick
• Eric Bledsoe
• Greg Brown - Hopefully

Blazers

• Gary Trent Jr.
• Malachi Flynn
• Khem Birch - Hopefully

Here are some other players I like for the Raptors in this year's draft. All of these are players I have picked out that could be good players worth picking, with a focus on defensive potential as much as offense.

Trade Up

• Dyson Daniels
• Tari Eason
• Dalen Terry
• AJ Griffin - Maybe

#33 Draft Pick

• Dalen Terry - Unlikely available
• Khalifa Diop
• Justin Lewis
• Ron Harper Jr. - Maybe

Undrafted

• Khalifa Diop - C
• Justin Lewis - F
• Ron Harper Jr. - SG
• Scottie Pippen Jr. - PG
• Ibou Badji - C
• Julian Champagnie - SF
• Hyunjung Lee - SF

Here is how I see the Raptors lineup if they could somehow add both Dyson Daniels and Dalen Terry. Beyond their top 10 players, they could keep Thaddeus Young possibly, or look to other free agents and undrafted players.

Lineup

• Fred VanVleet - Dalano Banton - Eric Bledsoe
• Dyson Daniels - Dalen Terry - Ron Harper Jr.?
• OG Anunoby - Justin Champagnie - Thaddeus Young?
• Scottie Barnes - Chris Boucher - Greg Brown
• Pascal Siakam - Precious Achiuwa - Khalifa Diop?

2-Ways

• Scottie Pippen Jr? Khalifa Diop?
• Ibou Badji? Julian Champagnie?

These ideas do not take into account future FA or trade upgrades.

Notes

• Make Achiuwa the starting center
• Move Trent to the bench as 6th man
• Resign Boucher as backup big
• Sign Champagnie to NBA deal as 3-and-D bench player
• Let Thaddeus Young go - Better Shooter or Younger
• Move Birch to 3rd string 7K contract only - Better Shooter
• ----
• Run offense through Barnes and Banton handling ball much more
• Turn Fred and Malachi into shooters more often than ball handlers
• Make Fred, OG, Malachi, Gary do catch and shoot 3 PTs mainly
• Make Fred and Gary shoot only from 3 PT line, not 5 feet back
• Have Pascal, Prec, Justin, Chris focus on catch and shoot 3 PTs
• Give ball to Pascal or Gary if near end of shot clock to score
• ----
• Draft or add versatile athletic center with shooting potential
• Bench is Banton, Trent, Champagnie, Boucher, 2nd Rd Pick or FA
• Play the bench more and rest the starters more in season
• Playoff 7-8 might be Trent, Boucher, Banton/Champagnie
• If keep Young, make him small ball center, trade Birch if possible
• Bench would then be Banton, Trent, Champagnie, Boucher, Young

Lineup Option 1

• VanVleet - Banton
• Barnes - Trent
• Anunoby - Champagnie
• Siakam - Boucher
• Achiuwa - Draft Pick / Young / FA

Lineup Option 2

• VanVleet - Flynn
• Barnes - Banton
• Anunoby - Trent
• Siakam - Champagnie
• Achiuwa - Boucher

Here are my thoughts and some potential trade options to be involved in a trade for Simmons currently.

Trade Options

• Raptors - 76ers
• Ben Simmons - Fred VanVleet
• Matisse Thybulle - Goran Dragic
• $8.2M Trade Exception - 2022 1st Rd Pick

Lineup 1

• PG - Simmons - Flynn - Banton
• SG - Trent - Mykhailiuk - Wainwright
• SF - Anunoby - Thybulle - Watanabe
• PF - Barnes - Bonga - Dekker
• C - Siakam - Achiuwa - Birch

Lineup 2

• PG - Dragic - Flynn - Banton
• SG - Trent - Mykhailiuk - Bonga
• SF - Anunoby - Wainwright - Watanabe
• PF - Simmons - Barnes - Dekker
• C - Siakam - Achiuwa - Birch

Lineup (No Trades)

• PG - VanVleet - Flynn - Banton
• SG - Dragic* - Trent - Mykhailiuk
• SF - Anunoby - Wainwright - Bonga
• PF - Boucher* - Barnes - Dekker
• C - Siakam** (INJ) - Achiuwa - Birch** (START)

* Note - Maybe Dragic and Boucher could be starters, with all our young guys playing together on the bench, to also boost Dragic's trade value and because Boucher is better than Birch.

** Note - Maybe Siakam or Barnes could actually play center, with Birch starting the year there as a solid player, but really being our 3rd string center later in the year when Siakam returns.

Thoughts

I think we want Thybulle instead of Maxey because he is a great defensive player with length like OG but at the 2-3 spots, similar to all the other players we like who are great defenders to start with. Contrary to the latest Raptors Digest video on September 2nd which says not to trade VanVleet, I think our deal almost certainly has to involve Fred. Why would the 76ers accept a deal with Gary Trent as the top player, unless they get Boucher as well as 4 first round picks and all young players? And that's a deal I don't think we want, just like we don't want to trade Siakam or Anunoby. Plus, I'm not sure we can include Trent in a deal before the season since we just signed him to a deal this offseason.

But our deal can now include Dragic, unlike my thoughts on trading VanVleet and Boucher earlier, before the NBA draft took place. And we can think of it like we traded Lowry but also got an extra guy we love in Achiuwa. We might be competing with a deal for CJ McCollum, who's a pretty good player and better offensively, on paper, and in the media than VanVleet, and he's also in the West where the 76ers don't compete against the Blazers. The fact that they could probably get McCollum is another reason why Gary Trent and Boucher likely won't cut it to make a deal.

In the big picture though, with our deal the 76ers get a lot of shooting which Morey likes with all of VanVleet, Boucher, and Dragic, while losing their two horrible shooters in Simmons and Thybulle. So it could be addition by subtraction and offer a lot of shooting while getting rid of their bad shooting. Plus Boucher is a great fit for them as a stretch four, as he is still extremely undervalued and a starting caliber player in this league in my opinion just like Norm Powell is. Boucher has been very high on PER both of the last two years, along with guys like Powell and Christian Wood before his deal with the Rockets. The 76ers can move Harris to small forward and have starters VanVleet, Curry, Harris, Boucher, Embiid and a bench of Dragic, Maxey, Green, Niang, Drummond. Green might start at SG obviously though.

We're in a decent position though, because the 76ers likely want to win now so they don't really want young players or picks like they might get in deals with San Antonio, Sacramento, Golden State, or other places. Plus if they want defense and winners they could like our guys, or particularly our main guy in VanVleet, better than guys like McCollum, Buddy Hield, or D'Angelo Russell. VanVleet to start and Dragic to play off the bench offers them a lot of playoff-tested defense, winning, experience, and passing to replace Simmons in order to win now. Plus they still get a good young player in VanVleet at point guard to make the trade look at least somewhat normal. Personally, I think VanVleet is a perfect point guard to fit with Embiid as well because he is a great shooter and leader, and because Embiid will get the ball more so you don't need a pass first point guard like Simmons, Chris Paul, or Kyle Lowry.

The above trade would be the most we might offer, but we might get it done for just 3 of those assets, or without Thybulle for as little as two of those assets. But I still think VanVleet almost certainly has to be the centerpiece to get a deal done likely at the very least, and I don't think we want to do a deal if it includes Anunoby or Siakam. To make the salaries match in order to get Dragic, I think the 76ers have about an $8 million trade exception from the Horford deal, which might even expire as soon as September 7th, or possibly later in the year.

The lineups proposed by me are based on two possible deals, one where we keep Dragic and don't get Thybulle. If we could keep Boucher and just give up VanVleet, Dragic, and a 1st round pick that would be the best deal we could hope for I think, but the least likely for the 76ers to accept probably, so I don't have a lineup based on keeping Boucher. The actual deal made from the list in my trade would depend on the 76ers and Raptors opinions on the values of Boucher, Thybulle, and the value of 1st round picks compared to those players.

Unlike many people who think Simmons isn't a good fit now without a starting point guard like VanVleet or Suggs, I'm actually higher on getting Simmons now than I was before the draft and getting Barnes. We can go all in on the strategy of defense, length, speed, and passing while developing all these guys shooting skills. Plus we still have some shooting in Siakam, OG, Flynn, Trent, Mykhailiuk, Watanabe, Dekker, plus Barnes and Achiuwa who do show potential to improve quickly. We could even possibly keep Dragic for our starting point guard for this year, with Flynn as a possible replacement in the future too.

But imagine how many rebounds we can get and how great the defense could be if we do leave Simmons and Barnes as big guards eventually, and decided that Siakam could play center if that's the case, instead of the skinny Boucher. Boucher could start at power forward if we are able to keep him instead of Dragic, and we would have 5 guys who are about 6'9" or taller who are pretty good players who can guard multiple positions. A lineup of Simmons, Barnes, Anunoby, Boucher, and Siakam would have a lot of potential, or even a lineup with Achiuwa at center instead of Boucher at power forward if Achiuwa's shooting improves enough in a year or two. If it's not enough shooting and we lose Boucher we can still have Trent, Flynn, or Dragic in there with a lineup like Simmons, Trent, Anunoby, Barnes, and Siakam.

Hey Ben and Ryker. Do you have any thoughts or feel like discussing this trade and potential roster lineup on an episode?

Here is a link to a super long take with some more thoughts about this idea, which neither of you will probably read at all 😉 Have a good one and great work on the new changes to your setup and the show this year guys.

Raptors Digest - 2021 Raptors Trade, Draft, and Lineup

Trade

• Raptors - 76ers - Magic
• Jonathan Kuminga: 2021 5th Pick - Fred VanVleet - Ben Simmons
• Matisse Thybulle - Terrence Ross - 2022 1st Rd: TOR
• Blank - Paul Watson - 2021 2nd Rd: PHI

Lineup

• PG - Lowry - Suggs - Flynn
• SG - Trent - Oladipo/FA - 2nd/Nix
• SF - Anunoby - Thybulle - Watanabe
• PF - Siakam - Kuminga - Gillespie
• C - Boucher - FA/Giles - 2nd/Maker

Details

I heard that Daryl Morey likes 3 point shooting. VanVleet, Ross, and Watson are all pretty great at that, while Simmons is horrible and Thybulle isn't known for shooting now either. They can also use wings who have some height to possibly play SF in Ross and Watson. Even though Watson is mostly a throw in, his 3 point shooting in the G league a couple years ago and last year in the NBA have been pretty great so he might be an interesting addition for Philly. While the Magic have a lot of good young players, they need to get going at some point with at least one real player instead of having only young guys with potential. Since they also have the 8th pick, maybe they could look at Simmons as a good young player to take a chance on for that 5th pick since Kuminga is another project who could take a while or end up a bust and isn't in that top 4 tier. They could move Isaac to SF and Simmons to PF to work well as a Draymond Green point forward with their young guards and centers in Hampton, Anthony, Fultz, Harris, Carter, and Bamba. Maybe Gary Harris to the Raptors, Tyrese Maxey to the Magic, Chris Boucher to one of the Magic or 76ers, or different draft picks could be other possibilities involved if needed to get this done by sending more to some team, but hopefully not Boucher if we don't have to of course.

For us, pretty much every single guy in that lineup is pretty good on defense, works hard, and has the potential to get better. That's how you win championships and develop players the new Raptors way under Masai. That's why I'm not super high on the Siakam for Wiseman, Wiggins, and 7th pick. Wiseman and Wiggins aren't known for their IQ, motor, hard work, and passing which we want our top players to have in spades. And I like Kuminga or Barnes with the 5th pick much, much better than who might be at the 7th pick. We can develop all of these good young players to get even better, while still having a solid team now hopefully. We're hoping that Suggs is the next Chris Paul or Jrue Holiday but a better scorer, and Kuminga is the next Pascal Siakam or even Kevin Durant, or somewhere in between.

While hoping we will win a championship with Siakam and VanVleet as our best two players might be overvaluing them, there is real potential with Suggs and Kuminga. Remember, we have never had one top pick like this under Masai Ujiri, let alone two great potential young talents to develop. This is a big potential opportunity, and to have both of those guys as bench players to start off could make a good team now. Though, the future championship team might hinge around Suggs, Kuminga, Anunoby as the main core, or whoever steps up and gets better even if it's Siakam, Trent, Thybulle, Boucher, or someone else. The potential is there, and keep in mind the idea might be to possibly trade other pieces in Lowry, Oladipo, Boucher, Trent, or even Siakam, etc. at some point to get one more potential star somehow if Oladipo or Siakam isn't that guy, to go with whoever our two or three stars are at that point. In the meantime, we have a solid team of young players to start this rebuild officially, with Lowry transitioning to the bench or being traded depending on Suggs development.

Actually, I personally like keeping Siakam with these guys and having the core of Suggs, Kuminga, Anunoby, and Siakam, along with a center which could even be Boucher in my mind possibly. A lot of length in that lineup and Kuminga could potentially have and develop the offensive skills and quickness to play SG, or Anunoby could even play SG if not. It would be interesting also because that lineup would feature 4 players with African heritage, which I think Masai would be proud of and find interesting. I am surprised with how little emphasis the media has noticed or talked about the fact that Masai has gotten many of these guys with African heritage who have been undervalued. Trading for Ibaka. Drafting Siakam and Anunoby. Picking up Boucher. It's another reason why I think he could be super high on Kuminga, as someone with even more offensive potential than any of those guys.

Ben, I was glad to see you come around on Jalen Suggs after you went and read about him after we got the 4th pick. I have a feeling the Raptors might absolutely love this guy and possibly have him 2nd on their board, ahead of both Green and Mobley. They might be ecstatic that they could get him and see it as their chance to build for the future around a pass first point guard who can also score, play great defense, and lead a winning team. I love Suggs so much I might take him first overall even though I know that sounds crazy, and I agree with you that he is a perfect Raptors pick to build around for the future. He might never be known as a top 20 player just like Lowry or Siakam, and always be underrated like every Raptor because a lot of his value comes with his defense. But his amazing defense, hard work, IQ, passing ability, team basketball, pass first approach, and winning attitude make him a potential great long term leader for this team. And he still has the talent to potentially be known as a top 10 player too, though it's a crapshoot for that with any player you pick obviously. I think he could be a real playoff starter and winner as opposed to just a regular season player, league leading scorer type, or slam dunk contest winner. Remember, we won with Lowry (Suggs) who is a great all around player who works hard and plays defense, Leonard (Anunoby) who is a great defender and also turned into a great scorer, and Siakam (Kuminga) who is athletic but also has some good offensive skills, not with Vince Carter (Jalen Green) who is a super talented offensive player who scores on his own a lot, and isn't known for defense, working hard, and wanting to win at all costs. Green should be amazing though, but he might not be there for us anyway.

Ryker, here are 3 reasons you might like Suggs and this roster more than you realize, even over Mobley or Green. If you don't like waiting to get good, I think Suggs is currently known as easily the most win now guy in the draft, and guys like him aren't often at the top of the draft. While going with a rookie in the playoffs is always risky, he has much more potential than Green, Mobley, Kuminga, or Barnes, let alone other players. Because of his solid defense and IQ, he might be able to hang in there in his first year. Remember, even our lower picks in Siakam, Anunoby, and Powell all started in the regular season on a top Raptors team in their first year, with Powell starting in the playoffs some. Why? DEFENSE, MOTOR, and HARD WORK. But Suggs also has top pick offensive potential. Personally, at this top pick I think we should go for the best long term potential player and win now shouldn't be important, so if Green or Kuminga was actually better long term I would take that chance. But I think Suggs could also be that long term all around player as well for the reasons listed above, even though I do like that Suggs is also more NBA ready too which is just a nice plus for us.

Second, you've talked about how VanVleet isn't a pass first guy, and playing VanVleet and Lowry together isn't great. Suggs is actually a perfect complement to Lowry, Flynn or even VanVleet in my mind, while also being the potential pass first playmaker and long term solution to take over from Lowry in a league dominated by great passing and shooting point guards on many of the top teams. When or if Suggs is playing together with Lowry or Flynn for now, their defense could be great together at guard, especially paired with Anunoby and Siakam at forward. But we can now have more length and strength with Suggs playing SG potentially, and still go with potential two PG lineups that have worked for us in the past with Lowry/Vazquez, VanVleet/Wright, and VanVleet/Lowry. It doesn't matter that Suggs is more of the passer. Lowry or Flynn plays PG on defense where they are good, with Suggs having better length and strength to guard SG and SF. And Suggs plays PG on offense with Flynn or even Lowry because of his playmaking ability and Kyle's shooting ability. Then Suggs is also the long term solution, so if he turns out amazing you could then trade Kyle and have Trent, Thybulle or someone else at SG, or even play Flynn and Suggs together if Flynn gets really good too and you like more playmaking.

Third, this trade has the potential to get guys back at their regular positions and have good length and rebounding, except for Boucher out of position at center. We got 3-and-D guys at SF, shooters and potential scorers at SG, scorers at PF, passers at PG, and athletic rim protectors and rebounders who can also switch onto smaller players at C. Nurse will play around a lot as always, and also because some of these guys like Kuminga, Suggs, Trent, Thybulle, and even Boucher have more versatility than previous players like VanVleet, Gasol, Valsooinawallsauce, and even Lowry. But there is potential to have more guys at their natural positions or not playing way out of position, especially if you do get a bigger center that is more talented than Boucher, or eventually trade Siakam and have Boucher and/or later Kuminga or Anunoby at PF.

As far as Boucher starting at center, I realize it seems odd and everyone worries most about getting a center or two. I don't as much. We have so many other good young players with this roster and can find centers even though they didn't do great at it last year going with the big brutes in Baynes and Len. So many things could happen before the season and Siakam is out to start off, but Boucher starting at center is my big crazy prediction and wish, even though it's not the perfect solution. In previous years I had two crazy predictions that came true. After we traded for Kawhi, everyone assumed Valanciunas would start and Ibaka would go to the bench, but right away I thought Ibaka should start along with Green because the overall defense could be amazing. It was double addition by subtraction by getting rid of DeRozan and moving Valanciunas to the bench. Getting the two worst defenders out of the starting lineup made a big difference, along with trading CJ Miles and JV later. We had enough offense even though it wasn't the best in the league, but with Ibaka and Green in the starting lineup, and later with the Gasol trade, the defense was ridiculously amazing. Then the following year everyone assumed Powell would start at SG and take over from Green, as VanVleet was a clear backup PG. But I thought VanVleet should start because he was clearly the better player, and Nurse also made that change which people thought was really odd.

It's the same thing with Boucher. If we don't get someone obviously better, which could be tough with how great Boucher has been per minute, I think we should take his weaknesses and just go with him at center alongside Siakam once Siakam is back. Boucher is still a great 3 point shooter, floor spacer, rim protector, shot blocker, very mobile big who can switch, and great rebounder. Yes he's skinny and will give up some easy baskets, backdowns, and rebounds that look bad. But Gasol, Ibaka, and Valanciunas all had their weaknesses too. Boucher is at least good at both ends of the floor unlike Gasol on offense except his passing, and Valanciunas on defense except his rebounding. I'm not sure we should leave Boucher on the bench just to start some solid rebounder big guy who can't shoot. With such good defense and length at the other spots, it might be better to have Boucher's good shooting, mobility, and offensive skills in the starting lineup.

What

• Rebuild to the future if can get a top passing and IQ point guard in draft
• Take on others large contracts and 1-year veterans to still be good this year
• Open room to move Norm Powell into the starting lineup to be 2nd scorer
• Put Lowry and VanVleet in good situations to win and make money at home

Why

• All-in on rebuild with young players and aim for 2021 free agents or star trade
• Open cap room for 2nd player to come with Giannis to join Siakam and Anunoby
• Competition too good this year, take a step back to rebuild, let VanVleet etc. go
• Need more to beat BKN, GSW, MIL, LAL, BOS, LAC as well as PHI, DAL, MIA, DEN

Trade 1 - Draft

Golden State Warriors

• Kyle Lowry
• Patrick McCaw

Charlotte Hornets

• Andrew Wiggins
• 2020 #29 Draft Pick

Toronto Raptors

• Nicolas Batum
• 2020 #2 Draft Pick - LaMelo Ball
• 2020 #3 Draft Pick - Tyrese Haliburton

Trade 2 - Free Agency

Chicago Bulls

• Fred VanVleet - Sign and trade
• Stanley Johnson
• Optional - Patrick McCaw - If Dunn added to deal

Toronto Raptors

• Otto Porter Jr.
• 2021 or 2022 1st Rd Draft Pick
• Kris Dunn - 3 years @ $7.5M? - If keep Lowry. Trade for expiring + pick?

Free Agents

Bigs - Pick 2 or 3

• Christian Wood - 3 years @ $10M? - Trade away later for expiring contract + pick?
• Marc Gasol - 1 year @ $6M?
• Aron Baynes - 1 year @ $6M?
• Serge Ibaka - 1 year @ $20M?  - Let go to make money? Or sign and trade too?

Guards - Pick 1

• Jeff Teague - 1 year or no
• Danilo Gallinari - 1 year or no

2020 Lineup

Lineup Season

• PG - Ball - Teague - Batum - Undrafted instead of Teague?
• SG - Powell - Haliburton - Davis - Thomas
• SF - Anunoby - Porter - Watson
• PF - Siakam - Boucher - Brissett - Free Agent instead of Brissett?
• C - Gasol - Wood

Lineup Playoffs

• PG - Teague - Haliburton
• SG - Powell
• SF - Anunoby - Wood
• PF - Siakam
• C - Boucher - Gasol

Two-Way

• Ellenson?
• Undrafted? Free Agent? Brissett?

2021 Lineup

Lineup

• PG - Haliburton - Ball
• SG - Leonard - Davis
• SF - Anunoby - Watson
• PF - Siakam - Wood
• C - Antetokounmpo - Boucher

Alternate

• PG - Leonard - Ball
• SG - Anunoby - Haliburton
• SF - Siakam - Davis - Watson
• PF - Boucher - Wood
• C - Antetokounmpo

Extra - Serious Lineups, Fun Names - Nov 14th

The B.I.G. Death Lineup - Business Instead Of Game

• PG - Leonard
• SG - Siakam
• SF - Anunoby
• PF - Boucher
• C - Antetekounmpo

The Globetrotter Lineup - Pass For The Hell Of It

• PG - Haliburton
• SG - Ball
• SF - Leonard
• PF - Siakam
• C - Antetekounmpo

The Tall Ball Lineup : The Giant Lineup - Big Guys Got Skills Too

• PG - Antetekounmpo
• SG - Leonard
• SF - Anunoby
• PF - Siakam
• C - Boucher

The Great Ones - Dinosaurs Go Down In History

• PG - Ball
• SG - Leonard
• SF - Anunoby
• PF - Siakam
• C - Antetekounmpo

Here is a potential idea and plan for how to finish the 2019-2020 NBA season and playoffs.

What

Teams - 20 Teams

• 20 teams return to play
• The top 8 teams in the East
• The top 12 teams in the West

Exhibition - 15 Playoff Teams and Memphis

• 4 Games - Top 1-4 teams in East play bottom 5-8 teams in West
• 4 Games - Top 1-4 teams in West play bottom 5-8 teams in East
• Play-In - 15 teams advance to playoffs, Memphis to Play-In

Tournament - 4 West Teams from 9-12

• 3 Games - Teams 9-12 in the West play a round robin
• 1 Game - Top 2 teams from round robin play single final game
• Winner - The winner still only has a chance to make the playoffs

Play-In - Memphis and Tournament Winner

• Best of 3 - Memphis plays tournament winner in best of 3 game series
• 8th Spot - Play-In winner receives 8th seed in the West
• Break - 15 playoff teams rest during 3 game play-in series

Playoffs - 16 Teams Best of 7

• Best of 7 - Play a regular and full best of 7 game series playoffs

Why

Teams

• Effort to come back may not be worth it for all teams
• 9-12 teams in West are very close in standings, and to 8th place
• 9-12 Teams in East are well behind the 8th placed team

Exhibition

• Teams play teams they are unlikely to meet in playoffs
• Fans will just be happy that their teams are playing games
• Wins and player stats do not count toward 2019-2020 season

Tournament

• 9-12 teams in West all likely desired and had chance to make playoffs
• 9-16 teams in East had much lower likelihood and desire to make playoffs
• A single game playoff is exciting, and teams weren't actually in playoff seed

Play-In

• Memphis could have been caught by one of the tournament teams
• A 3 Game series is adequate yet exciting, as 9-12 were close to 8th place
• Play-In player stats would likely count toward 2019-2020 playoff stats

Playoffs

• The playoff revenue may take priority over regular season games
• Playing best of 7 gives a true winner and a regular playoff schedule
• Full playoffs given priority even if 2020-2021 season needs shortened

May 17th, 2020

What And Why For Us - Raptors

• Trade poor ball handlers - Miles, Anunoby, Ibaka, Valanciunas
• Keep good ball handlers - VanVleet, Siakam, Wright
• Trade future money to clear contracts - Lowry, Ibaka, Valanciunas, Miles
• Keep core for chemistry, fans, future - Wright, Powell, Siakam, VanVleet
• Gain young star player to combine with Siakam for future - Holiday
• Gain stretch four and three point shooting for playoffs this year - Mirotic
• Possible great team for both this year and next year with shot at title
• Possible young stars lineup for future - Holiday, Leonard, Siakam, Davis

Trade

• Pelicans - Raptors
• Lowry - Davis
• Ibaka - Holiday
• Valanciunas - Mirotic
• Anunoby - Hill
• Miles - Johnson
• 2021 1st Rd Pick - X
• 2020 2nd Rd Pick - X

This Year

• Holiday - VanVleet - Loyd
• Green - Wright - McCaw
• Leonard - Powell - Johnson
• Siakam - Mirotic - Hill
• Davis - Monroe - Boucher

Next Year

• VanVleet - Loyd
• Holiday - Wright
• Leonard - Powell - Hill
• Siakam - Boucher
• Davis

What And Why For Them - Pelicans

• Combine some current players along with some future players - Raptors advantage over other teams
• Take poor contracts and players that Pelicans don't want in order to sweeten the deal - Hill, Johnson
• Current players to transition with good team next year - Lowry, Moore, Anunoby, Randle, Ibaka
• Future players to combine with Lowry or Ibaka going forward - Anunoby, Valanciunas, Picks
• Pelicans get rid of all future contracts beyond next year, other than small Anunoby contract
• Pelicans get potential young two way star with Anunoby and offensive threat with Valanciunas
• Could sit Lowry and Valanciunas because of injuries to increase odds of high pick in draft
• Could trade Ibaka and/or Lowry next year - Jackson, Payton, Anunoby, Randle, Valanciunas