Toronto Raptors
After being one of the most dominant teams in the East for years, the Toronto Raptors have struggled early on in the year. They have started to turn things around, winning 6 of their last 10 games, but overall, this team still has some massive problems to fix in their frontcourt.
With the departures of Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka this past offseason, the Raptors lost basically their entire frontcourt outside of Pascal Siakam. As a result, the Raptors are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league and a team that opponents have been able to expose in the paint on both ends of the court similar to the Celtics.
Given the problems that the Raptors have in their frontcourt, pairing Julius Randle with NBA All-Star forward Pascal Siakam could make a ton of sense, especially since the Knicks’ big man is only 26-years old and still growing as a player.
His versatility makes him a very intriguing frontcourt option as he can not only rebound and score in the low-post, but he can also expand his game on the perimeter and be an active facilitator for his team. Julius Randle currently leads the Knicks in assists per game and by a pretty wide margin.
With no reliable options in the frontcourt besides Pascal Siakam, the Raptors need to address this situation or they will not be able to win 50+ games for the sixth consecutive season. Not only would this trade help them now in their pursuit for more championships, but in the future as well since Pascal Siakam and Julius Randle are only 26-years old.
It may cost the Raptors a player like Norman Powell or OG Anunoby and some draft picks, but Julius Randle has a lot of potential to continue growing into one of the best big men in the league, which is why the Raptors could look to acquire him at some point moving forward.
