Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Toronto Raptors
While Kyle Lowry has been instrumental to the Raptors success over the last several seasons, he is going to be turning 35-years old this season and is in the final year of his contract. The Raptors will really need to ask themselves if it is worth paying a 35-year old $20M+ a year or if they could get more value for him now.
This is a very tough decision for them to make, especially since Lowry is their leader and has been the “heart and soul” of the Toronto Raptors for years now. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and it makes a lot more sense to trade Lowry now than it does to keep him long-term.
The Raptors desperately need some frontcourt help and getting Ivica Zubac may be the best aspect of this trade scenario for them. Zubac is now in his third season with the Clippers and has grown into a very reliable center off-the-bench. He started in 70 games last year, but with the addition of Serge Ibaka, he has moved to a bench role this year with Montrezl Harrell gone.
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Not only can Zubac be a high-impact player for the Raptors moving forward, but Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris Sr. are both guys who can join this team and contribute immediately in the second-unit. Toronto has virtually no bench depth and getting these three guys could really aid them in their efforts to make it back to the NBA Finals this year.
In terms of most immediate value, the Clippers may not have a lot of draft picks to offer up, but they do have a lot of key role players that could make a difference on any team they are on. The Raptors may have started off the season slow, but with this trade, they would definitely become a dangerous team in the Eastern Conference.
