What Happened With The Toronto Raptors And Inside The Final Hours Of The Trade Deadline - Siegel’s Scoop
The Toronto Raptors were supposed to be the team that controlled Thursday’s trade deadline given the uncertainty that not only surrounded the contracts of Gary Trent Jr and Fred VanVleet, as they can both become unrestricted free agents in the offseason, but due to the fact that they have struggled in the Eastern Conference this season.
Teams around the league had been inquiring about the availability of VanVleet and Trent for weeks, as well as Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby. Heading into this week, it appeared that a new era in Toronto was getting ready to begin.
Then Toronto made a move early Thursday morning to acquire Jakob Poeltl from the San Antonio Spurs, a key name that made their trade for Kawhi Leonard in 2018 possible. Wanting to bring Poeltl back to Toronto for quite some time now, the Raptors gave up Khem Birch, two second-round picks and a Top-6 protected 2024 first-round pick.
This move raised the eyebrows of many around the league, as why would a team that was on the verge of rebuilding relinquish three draft picks, one of which being a 2024 first-round pick, in order to pursue a player that is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer?
Never having the mindset of going through some massive rebuild, Masai Ujiri and the Raptors’ front-office entered Thursday looking to set themselves up in a position to make a run at the playoffs this season. All of their options in trade discussions with rival teams were still on the table with less than 24 hours until the deadline, but sources told Fastbreak on FanNation that dealing Pascal Siakam was never in their plans.
It would have taken a “Rudy Gobert type of package,” as one league source that spoke with Fastbreak said, in order for Ujiri to show interest in moving the team’s star big man.
Fred VanVleet and O.G. Anunoby were a whole separate story though, as teams continued to inquire about their availability and Toronto’s willingness to part with either player leading into the final hour before the deadline.
The Golden State Warriors were in aggressive pursuit of O.G. Anunoby on Thursday after the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans had been linked to the versatile forward. Several other teams around the league had also shown interest in Anunoby.
The idea of pairing O.G. Anunoby with their core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins became increasingly appealing to the Warriors in recent days, especially given the decline of their defense this season. Toronto had engaged in trade conversations with the Warriors about Anunoby, but the Raptors were wanting a ton of value back from Golden State, as sources say they were asking for not only James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga, but two future first-round picks as well.
This was an asking price that Bob Myers and Golden State’s front-office were not willing to pay, especially given how high they value Kuminga with their current core. The Pelicans were also in the mix for Anunoby, as mentioned before, and in addition to multiple first-round picks, the Raptors were wanting Trey Murphy III from New Orleans, a player the Pelicans were not willing to discuss in trade talks at the trade deadline.
Entering the week with the mindset of keeping all of their young, recent first-round picks in James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Moses Moody, the mood within the organization quickly changed following their loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. With the Dallas Mavericks adding Kyrie Irving, the Phoenix Suns pulling off a blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant and other Western Conference teams increasing their overall talent, Golden State became open to the idea of moving on from Wiseman, the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, due to his lack of playing time and inability to positively affect this team’s chances of defending their championship.
Gary Payton II, who they ultimately acquired as a result of trading James Wiseman, was instrumental in the success the Warriors had a season ago and he was a beloved member in the locker room, which is why he was one of the first players the team looked to inquire about behind O.G. Anunoby. Improving defensively was always the goal the Warriors had if they were to make a move at the trade deadline this year.
James Wiseman now joins a Detroit Pistons team that already has a ton of young talent in their frontcourt with Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren and Marvin Bagley III. Nerlens Noel is being viewed as a possible buyout candidate around the league and as for other potential deals the Pistons could have made, Bojan Bogdanovic was being pursued throughout the day on Thursday, Fastbreak has learned.
However, Detroit was not going to trade Bogdanovic unless they were receiving a ton of assets in return. There is a belief that the Pistons were not willing to move Bogdanovic unless they were receiving two first-round picks, one of which being unprotected, and an emerging talent on a rookie contract.
While juggling offers and interest in Anunoby, the Raptors had also heard from various teams interested in Fred VanVleet leading up to Thursday’s deadline, one of which being the Los Angeles Clippers.
Los Angeles was targeting Kyrie Irving ahead of his trade with the Mavericks and sources say the team was willing to give up Terance Mann to acquire Irving, something they have been unwilling to do in the past. When Toronto asked for Mann to be at the forefront of discussions for VanVleet, the Clippers were reluctant to include him in a package, resulting in trade discussions to never advance.
There was also interest in VanVleet coming from the Milwaukee Bucks, as The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Bucks had shown trade interest in the Raptors’ guard heading into Thursday. The Pelicans had also shown a level of interest in Fred VanVleet in addition to their interest in O.G. Anunoby, sources say.
Terry Rozier from the Charlotte Hornets was also a player the Clippers had interest in, but those talks never really gained any momentum. Ultimately, the two sides were able to settle on two second-round picks for center Mason Plumlee in order for Charlotte to give more playing time to their recent first-round pick Mark Williams.
Acquiring veteran Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee and Bones Hyland at the trade deadline, the Clippers achieved what they set out to do in regards to revamping their backcourt and adding another reliable big man alongside Ivica Zubac.
This trade deadline ended up being quite eventful, especially with superstar talents like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook all ending up finding new teams.
The Raptors held onto their key names, likely resulting in them re-evaluating their future in the offseason, and the Chicago Bulls surprisingly ended up being one of two teams to not make any deals this season.
Alex Caruso had been pursued by several playoff contending teams in recent weeks, but the Bulls really did not show much interest in moving any of their key names, especially Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Both All-Star talents never seemed to be made available and league sources told Fastbreak that Chicago made it clear to teams inquiring about LaVine and DeRozan that they were not interested in dealing either player.
The Bulls and Raptors, currently ninth and tenth in the Eastern Conference, respectively, have their work cut out for them over the final two months of the regular season.
As for the rest of the league, the top of the Eastern Conference remains competitive with the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers all looking like championship contenders, while the Western Conference is up for grabs.
With the Mavericks, Suns, Clippers and Lakers all making significant upgrades to their roster, as well as the Nuggets and Grizzlies remaining at the top of the standings, this could wind up being one of the most competitive seasons the West has ever seen. While they have struggled, it is hard to write off the Warriors as well, especially since they have been virtually unbeatable through the years with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all healthy in the postseason.
This season’s trade deadline brought plenty of surprises and as for the Toronto Raptors, time will tell if they will be able to keep their core together heading into the offseason.
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