Two Likely Raptors Departures Emerge As Potential Jazz Acquisitions

Besides the upcoming draft being a big focus for the Utah Jazz, free agency will also be a crucial time for the franchise moving forward. Considering the notable money the team has available to hand out this offseason, we could see more emphasis put on bringing in existing talent to Salt Lake City as a compliment to develop the young talent on the roster.

While we’re still a bit early in the process, we got a recent hint as to who could be on the market for the Jazz to have some interest in. This comes with a new report from Eric Picnus at Bleacher Report, where he gives us some detail concerning the future direction of the Toronto Raptors:

"The franchise is deciding its direction, and

many around the league believe Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. won't return

(both have player options). Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are heading into the final years of their contracts (Anunoby has a player option for 2024-25). Either the Raptors recommit fully to that group (the team doesn't have a head coach yet) or go in a different direction entirely. Several competing executives anticipate Toronto will build around Scottie Barnes and young talent with deals leading into the NBA draft."

- Eric Picnus, via

Bleacher Report

This should definitely be a storyline to keep an eye on for Jazz fans. With a predicted fire sale of the current Raptors core imminent, it's easy to imagine a world where Utah acts on a few of these moving parts. Danny Ainge is always an unpredictable GM, and we know he loves making moves. Doing some business with his former division rival and their players could be a route to improve the Utah roster.

Two players of this core that could be among the simplest to acquire are guards Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. Both of these guys might have spent their last days playing in Canada based on Picnus’s report, and will definitely have some outside interest on the open market if that’s what it comes to.

VanVleet is one year removed from his sole All-Star appearance in 2022, and Trent Jr. just came off a great offensive season averaging over 17 points per game. There’s clearly some value here in these free agents, and the Jazz would be foolish to not take a look at them.

While it’s more probable we see the Jazz opt to get younger at the point guard position by drafting one in less than two weeks, VanVleet would be a great consolation prize. At the very least, he could be a stopgap for the position while Utah patiently waits for their young guard of the future, whenever they may arrive. Considering he was among the NBA’s elites as an All-Star just a season ago, there’s definitely worse options out there.

On the other hand, Trent Jr. would be an undeniably fantastic signing if it came to fruition for Utah. In the unfortunate event that potential free agent Jordan Clarkson decides to take his talents elsewhere in July, replacing his scoring production with a similar offensive-minded, younger player instead may even be the better option to lean. Given that the Raptors are ready to punt on this emerging scorer, the Jazz could be on the receiving end to reap the rewards.

As the offseason keeps moving, the Jazz will continue to have an array of options in ways to take this rebuild in the right direction.

Follow Inside The Jazz on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on YouTube for breaking Jazz news videos and live-stream podcasts!