The Toronto Raptors have fallen out of title contention over the last three years, and perhaps it’s only a matter of time until team president Masai Ujiri commences a rebuild.
It’s been four years since the Raptors won the first NBA Championship in franchise history. They’ve mustered one series victory ever since, having missed out on the playoffs in 2020-21 before falling to the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round of last year’s postseason.
Veteran star forward Pascal Siakam has been the subject of trade rumors for a while now. If the Raptors end up shopping him, there will be a long list of teams interested in the two-time All-Star.
At NBA Analysis Network, James Piercey proposed a blockbuster trade idea that would see Toronto send Siakam to an Atlantic Division foe in the Boston Celtics. Piercey’s proposal has the Raptors acquiring fellow All-Star Jaylen Brown and veteran Danilo Gallinari in return:
“This team has majorly underperformed in 2022-23. At this point, they’ll have to fight to make the play-in tournament. That was not the goal for this team this season. Partly, they struggle to create in the half-court. The Raptors have a deep collection of playmaking wings, but they don’t have a player they can count on to create a shot out of thin air.
Brown would be exactly that player. This is one of the best shot creators in the NBA. He’s also a couple of years younger than Siakam. As long as the Raptors have the reassurance that Brown intends to stay with them beyond next season, this is a sensible move for a team in need of change.”
The Celtics are in the running with the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the NBA which would secure home advantage throughout the entire 2023 postseason. As for the Raptors, they’re simply fighting for a play-in berth, but the odds of going on a deep playoff run are extremely slim this year.
Both Brown and Siakam have one year remaining on their contracts, and they could both enter free agency next summer. The proposed trade from Piercey definitely makes sense if Boston and Toronto both feel like they won’t be able to retain their stars long-term.
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For now, Boston and Toronto are both focused on playoff seeding. But don’t be surprised if Brown and Siakam continue to be mentioned in trade rumors, and if one or both players end up getting traded this summer.
