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Could the Raptors Swing a Deal With Portland for the No. 3 Pick?
Let the draft rumors begin.
Less than 12 hours after the NBA Draft Lottery and the Portland Trail Blazers’ jump from the No. 5 spot in the lottery to the No. 3 pick in the draft, rumors are already swirling that the highly coveted pick could be on the move. Portland is reportedly “expected to make the pick available,” according to Bleacher Report’s noted-Trail Blazers’ whisperer Chris Haynes.
The Toronto Raptors have long been connected to Portland dating back to rumors surrounding O.G. Anunoby last summer and there’s little doubt Toronto’s name will pop up again this summer. The tricky part is finding a deal that makes sense for both teams.
For Portland, the only reason to move the No. 3 pick is to add ready-to-go playoff difference-makers to surround Damian Lillard. Toronto has a couple of players who fit that bill in Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. The problem is their contracts with Siakam set to make nearly $38 million next season and Anunoby at $18 million.
In order to acquire Siakam, Portland would have to trade Anfernee Simons and at least one other player in addition to the No. 3 pick. That’s a hefty price to pay. It’s possible a Siakam deal involving the No. 13 pick could interest the Trail Blazers, but Portland doesn’t seem interested in moving down in the lottery as much as the organization appears deadest on moving out of the draft altogether.
An Anunoby deal should be easier with his significantly cheaper contract, but it’s still hard to find a deal that makes sense. Simons and the No. 3 pick for Anunoby and a contract from Toronto? Anunoby for Jusuf Nurkic and the No. 3 pick? It all feels a little off.
Toronto seems almost certain to make at least one move this offseason but finding the right deal isn’t going to be easy.
Further Reading
Raptors can't get lucky, staying put at 13th pick in NBA draft lottery
Here's what to know as Raptors enter NBA Draft Lottery with 13th-best odds
Monty Williams fits the bill as the 'culture' coach the Raptors are looking for
