Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Toronto Raptors
After Kawhi Leonard departed Toronto after winning them their first championship in franchise history, many believed this organization and team would not be as dominant as they were with Leonard, but they seemed to be a better overall team. Not only did they win more games, but they were a better overall defensive team as more guys got involved in head coach Nick Nurse’s game plan, leading to him being named the 2019-20 NBA Coach of the Year.
Nick Nurse is a fantastic head coach and will be in the league with the Raptors for many years to come, but this year, something seems off with the Raptors. Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam seem off to begin the year and neither guy looks like the All-Star player they were a year ago. Fred VanVleet on the other hand has been sensational and their best offensive player on the court.
If things do not turn around quickly for the Raptors, they are going to continue digging a hole that will be hard to climb out of and they could wind up being a lower seed in the playoffs than anticipated, or they could potentially miss the playoffs!
This team needs another high-level talent to compete for another championship, especially after the Bucks, 76ers and Nets all improved this offseason, which is why trading for Zach LaVine would be a great idea. With two years left on his contract and the ability to play on or off the ball, the Raptors would have a backup plan in case they want to move on from Kyle Lowry and they would have the possibility to sign LaVine long-term as Lowry is in the final years of his career.
Zach LaVine is an All-Star caliber player and while giving up two first-round picks and two second-round picks for him seems like a lot, he could really do wonders for the Raptors on the offensive end of the court. Creating a lineup of Lowry, VanVleet, LaVine and Siakam would make this Raptors team very athletic and give them the ability to even go small and have Siakam play center and bring in another athlete in O.G. Anunoby to the starting lineup.
Offensively is where this team has struggled so far this year and bringing in a scorer like LaVine allows them to not only have another option on the offensive end of the court, but be able to continue being a high-level defensive team who can punish teams in transition and with fast break points. President of Basketball Operations, Masai Ujiri, is always looking for ways to improve his roster and bringing in Zach LaVine could keep them in title contention for many years to come.
