Ranking 3 Raptors’ players from least likely to most likely traded

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The Toronto Raptors are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference with an 11-15 record. Since the Raptors are in the position that they are right now, they could make changes to their roster. Many teams in the NBA would like to trade for a couple of players on the Raptors.

The players who have been in trade rumors since last season were Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, and Gary Trent Jr. So, I decided to rank these three players from least likely to be traded to most likely to be traded.

O.G. Anunoby

Anunoby has a player option in the summer. If he opts out, then he becomes a free agent. Anunoby could choose to re-sign with Toronto or sign with a new team in the offseason. Age should not be the problem for the Raptors since he’s only 26 years old.

That’s not to say that the Raptors don’t want to sign Trent due to his age, because that’s not true. Trent is two years younger than Anunoby. If Toronto had to choose between Trent and Anunoby, they would pick Anunoby. He’s a much better fit with Scottie Barnes than both Trent and Siakam.

Barnes is the future of this franchise. Toronto has to build the team around him eventually. Anunoby fits with Barnes. Anunoby does not need to command the ball and run the offense. That job is for Barnes. He just needs to defend and make shots. this will make Anunoby happy since he reportedly wanted a bigger role on the offensive side.

Age and fit aren’t the problem. Money is the problem. Anunoby could be worth $30 million per year. That’s almost double his current salary. Toronto might be hesitant to give him that kind of money but I say give him the money because he deserves it.

Pascal Siakam

There’s no doubt that Siakam is the franchise player for the Toronto Raptors. It’s crazy to think of the possibility of trading the best player on the team. But the Raptors are stuck in the middle. To get out of No Man’s Land, Toronto has to make a drastic change. Trading Siakam is that drastic change.

Even though the Raptors will be bad, it’s better to start over and find a new direction than to have no direction. On the other hand, Toronto could just keep Siakam, compete for a spot in the postseason, and re-sign him. Reports were saying that Siakam wanted to stay in Toronto. So if he wants to stay why are the Raptors signing Siakam to an extension?

Age is the only problem preventing the Raptors from signing Siakam to a long-term deal. He is 29 years old right now and will turn 30 in April. His contract will be $30 million to $40 million per year for up to five years. He will be 35 at the end of his potential new contract. It might not be the best decision to re-sign him. Toronto will not have any value if he regresses.

The Raptors could decide to trade him now and get assets back or keep him and hope he re-signs. If Siakam resigns, then that could affect their flexibility to improve the roster in the future. This is why I ranked Siakam here because Toronto can go in either direction.

Gary Trent Jr.

Out of Trent, Siakam, and Anunoby Trent will most likely be traded. He is the most expendable. Like Siakam and Anunoby, Trent is a free agent in the summer. He could’ve been a free agent last offseason, but Trent decided to opt into the final year of his contract.

He could’ve extended his contract with Toronto in the summer. There were reports that Trent and the Raptors were close to a contract extension. Both sides were talking about an extension once free agency started. Unfortunately, it never got finalized

He probably never got a contract extension because the front office wants to see what they could get for Trent at the trade deadline. If Toronto can trade Trent for multiple players who can help the team, they will do that deal.

That’s why I said Trent is expendable. He can be used as a trade piece so the Raptors can improve without trading away Siakam or Anunoby. If Toronto wants to keep the core while improving the team, trade Trent because he is the most expendable.

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