Raptors Mailbag: Will Toronto Trade Pick No. 9? Big Moves, Scottie’s Future, and More

We’re just over two weeks away from the NBA Draft, and the questions around the Toronto Raptors are starting to pile up. With the ninth pick and no clear sense of which stars might actually become available, the front office has options to weigh but no obvious path forward.

Will the Raptors look to trade the pick? Could a major move be coming? Or is this another step in a slower, patient build around Scottie Barnes?

This week’s mailbag looks at all of it, from draft strategy and trade targets to roster construction and what Toronto might do next.

If you have a question for a future mailbag, feel free to send it in on Instagram @aaronbenrose.

Does Toronto aggressively move in the draft to get a center or would they take the best player? – @moddydadoo

Toronto’s stated philosophy is always to take the best player available, and that is the right call in a league where rosters change quickly and talent rules. If an All-Star-calibre shooting guard is on the board and the best center available projects as a league-average starter, you take the guard and sort out the depth chart later.

If grades are truly even, the Raptors would lean toward a centre, but reaching to plug today’s hole would be a mistake. Should they draft a centre, the team will say it was simply their top prospect, and we will never know how close the call really was.

Has the team's sentiment towards SB changed? – @gav_rid

I can’t speak for the front office directly, but the Brandon Ingram trade suggests the Raptors view Scottie Barnes more as a complementary playmaker rather than a late-clock scorer.

The “big fish” rumors cut both ways. One reading is that Toronto believes Barnes is ready to win now and wants to add another star beside him. The other is that the club doubts Barnes can reach that level and is willing to move him for someone who is that caliber of player. What they do this summer will tell us which view is correct.

Which of the SGs (GD, JKW, OA) are most likely to be moved? – @gav_rid

None of the three is truly likely to be dealt, but the order would be Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick, then Ja’Kobe Walter. Agbaji is entering the final year of his rookie deal and carries the largest salary, making him the easiest to include for matching purposes. Walter just wrapped up a promising rookie season and feels the safest.

Does Sabonis fit the Raps? – @gav_rid

Not especially. Domantas Sabonis is very good, but he’s at his best when the offense runs through him, much like Barnes or Ingram. He offers no spacing and is not a defensive anchor. Building around that trio would be awkward with a relatively limited ceiling, I think.

Can they trade for a “big fish” without sacrificing Scottie (or Gradey or JaKobe)? – @sardeliskon

Yes, but it depends on the deal and how the acquiring team views Toronto’s other assets.

When we’re talking about the biggest fish who do you think we getting? – @587lucas2k20

The biggest names we’ve heard this offseason are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant. Those are the stars most often linked to Toronto, but the urgency to make a blockbuster right now still feels puzzling. I’m not sure I see the urgency to make a win-now deal this offseason.

Realistically could the Raptors pull off both a trade for a star and a major free-agent signing? – @jbbeauso

No. Toronto is already bumping up against the luxury tax. A star trade alone would further push the Raptors into the tax and adding a max free agent on top of that is impossible without massive salary dumps first.

Do you want Raptors to land a big name if it involves Scottie? – @emmettyuill

This is kind of a weird question to answer. I still don’t really understand the urgency to make a huge win-now move just 13 months after the organization was talking about the importance of patience. I know the injuries to Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard have opened things up in the East, but I don’t think that means it’s time to push all the chips in when we still haven’t even seen this group play together.

As for Barnes, I would have no problem trading him in the right deal. That should be true for almost anyone in the league. If someone calls and says, “Would you do Luka Doncic for Scottie Barnes?” then yes, of course. Sometimes those trades come out of nowhere and you just have to say yes.

Are there any “big fish” we could go for that actually work for the timeline (i.e., not Giannis or KD)? – @rorypower54

We don’t have a sense of who would fit that description. Trae Young would improve half-court creation, but he certainly has defensive deficiencies. Zach LaVine or Sabonis would not move the needle enough, I don’t think. Beyond that, young stars rarely hit the market.

Is there any scenario where Toronto keeps Scottie Barnes and still gets Giannis Antetokounmpo? – @onlyandrewn

Unlikely. If Antetokounmpo becomes available, competition will be intense and Barnes headlines any serious offer. Even if Toronto landed Antetokounmpo without sending Barnes out, the next logical step would be flipping Barnes for win-now pieces that fit better around Antetokounmpo.

What do you think about the Raptors going for Garland, instead of Giannis and Durant? – @johnjanetos

What’s in it for Cleveland? Presumably it would be Immanuel Quickley plus other stuff. But the Cavaliers are trying to win now, so why would they do that? I’m not sure it makes a ton of sense from their perspective, but if we’re just talking timelines, Garland fits a lot better than Giannis Antetokounmpo or Kevin Durant.

Further Reading