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Toronto Raptors (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
It took the Toronto Raptors four games to secure their first victory of the season, and they currently sit in last place of their division and ninth place in the eastern conference standings with a 9-12 record through the first third of the season.
The Raptors have been uncharacteristically bad on defense this season. They currently rank 15th in the NBA with a 110.0 defensive rating. It’s been a decade since the Raptors have rated so poorly on defense. The last time the Raptors were credited with a defensive rating above 107.1 was in the 2010-11 season when they sported a league-worst 111.7 defensive rating.
One could argue that the Raptors have had the same core of players and coaching staff for numerous years, and the opposition has figured them out, but the Celtics haven’t made any major changes, and they’re still a top-10 defense.
A more obvious and logical explanation for this would be the Raptors no longer have Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka crashing the boards and stifling opponents at the rim. Siakam is tall and athletic, but he isn’t a rim protector and isn’t even a great rebounder for his size.
The Toronto Raptors should explore the trade market.
Regardless of the reasoning behind Toronto’s struggles, changes need to be made, and the team should start exploring the trade and buyout markets. Though they have been playing better as of late, the Raptors still dropped three of their last five games. After back-to-back wins against the injury-ravaged Orlando Magic and are just 5-6 against teams that made the playoffs last year. Of their 12 losses, nine were by five or more points.
For a team with title hopes entering the season and a projected top-four team in the eastern conference, a sub-.500 record and ninth place in the standings just isn’t going to cut it. Let’s explore some potential trades that can help right the ship and change the Raptors’ outlook on the season.
<span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> MVP Race: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic vie for No. 1 </a> </div>
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<p>One could argue that the Raptors have had the same core of players and coaching staff for numerous years, and the opposition has figured them out, but the Celtics haven’t made any major changes, and they’re still a top-10 defense.</p>
<p>A more obvious and logical explanation for this would be the Raptors no longer have Marc Gasol or Serge Ibaka crashing the boards and stifling opponents at the rim. Siakam is tall and athletic, but he isn’t a rim protector and isn’t even a great rebounder for his size.</p>
<h2>The Toronto Raptors should explore the trade market.</h2>
<p>Regardless of the reasoning behind Toronto’s struggles, changes need to be made, and the team should start exploring the trade and buyout markets. Though they have been playing better as of late, the Raptors still dropped three of their last five games. After back-to-back wins against the injury-ravaged Orlando Magic and are just 5-6 against teams that made the playoffs last year. Of their 12 losses, nine were by five or more points.</p>
<p>For a team with title hopes entering the season and a projected top-four team in the eastern conference, a sub-.500 record and ninth place in the standings just isn’t going to cut it. Let’s explore some potential trades that can help right the ship and change the Raptors’ outlook on the season.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/toronto-raptors-three-trades-outlook/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Potential trade No. 1 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-422242" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/toronto-raptors-three-trades-outlook/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2130,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1230884313.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2130" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1230884313.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1230884313-768x511.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px" /><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Toronto Raptors (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Toronto Raptors trade No. 1:</h2>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Trade" data-team-ids="[84,81]" data-team-gets="[["Stanley Johnson","2023 2nd round pick"],["Hassan Whiteside"]]"
> <div class="playertrade remove-native-227"> <div class="trade"> <div class="team a"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/toronto-raptors-three-trades-outlook/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fkings.png"/>
<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Kings Get</div> <div class="info">Stanley Johnson</div> <div class="info">2023 2nd round pick</div> </div> </div> <div class="separator"></div> <div class="team b"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/toronto-raptors-three-trades-outlook/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fraptors.png"/>
<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Raptors Get</div> <div class="info">Hassan Whiteside</div> </div> </div> </div> </div>
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<p>The Raptors’ struggles largely stem from the inability to replace Gasol and Ibaka. To replace the team’s production at the center position, the front office signed Aron Baynes and Alex Len in free agency. Len was waived less than a month into the season after playing a mere 76 total minutes across seven appearances, and Baynes has struggled all season.</p>
<p>Coming off back-to-back seasons shooting over 34 percent from 3-point range, Baynes is converting just 22.2 percent of his 3-pointers this season and shooting a career-low 39.8 percent overall. Luckily for the Raptors, it hasn’t been all bad with Chris Boucher emerging as a formidable backup, but he’s struggled with consistency and continues to have lapses on defense and bite on pump fakes.</p>
<p>This is where <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/toronto-raptors-three-trades-outlook/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/whiteha01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-%22 target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" ref="nofollow">Hassan Whiteside</a> comes in. While Whiteside can’t stretch the floor like Ibaka or Gasol, the Raptors have enough perimeter shooting where that shouldn’t be a worry. He’s proven he can still be an elite shot-blocker as he led the league in total blocks (196), block percentage (8.4), and blocks per game (2.9) last season while playing for the Portland Trailblazers.</p>
<p>Whiteside averaged 15.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks in 30 minutes per game across 67 games last season and has averaged a double-double every season of his career that he’s seen at least 20 minutes per game.</p>
<p>Trading for a player with Whiteside’s skillset should immediately pay dividends for a Raptors team that ranks 27th in rebounds per game (43) and 15th in defensive rating (110). He can instantly slot in as the starting center and fortify the paint, keeping opponents off the glass. His knack for offensive rebounds (career average of 3.3 offensive rebounds per game) will create more possessions for the Raptors.</p>
<p>Per NBA rules, the Kings have to wait three months from the day he signed his contract before they can trade him, so Whiteside isn’t eligible to be traded until after Feb. 25th. Though they would still have to wait a few weeks before pulling the trigger on such a deal, it’s still an avenue the Raptors should explore. He doesn’t solve all of their problems, but he’s on a cheap one-year contract and helps them in multiple areas of need.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#222423" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/toronto-raptors-three-trades-outlook/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Potential trade No. 2 </a>
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<img class="size-full wp-image-422243" src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/toronto-raptors-three-trades-outlook/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/http%3A%2F%2Fhoopshabit.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1299683640.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1299683640.jpeg 3200w, https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1299683640-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px" /><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Toronto Raptors (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Trade No. 2:</h2>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Trade" data-team-ids="[169,81]" data-team-gets="[["Stanley Johnson","Norman Powell","Patrick McCaw","2023 2nd round pick & 2022 1st round pick"],["Victor Oladipo"]]"
> <div class="playertrade remove-native-227"> <div class="trade"> <div class="team a"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/02/04/toronto-raptors-three-trades-outlook/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Frockets.png"/>
