Toronto Raptors
For weeks ahead of the NBA trade deadline, the Toronto Raptors were a quiet team to watch in the “Andre Drummond Sweepstakes,” but nothing ever happened between them and the Cavaliers in trade talks. With Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol departing Toronto this past offseason, the Raptors have been left with a massive void in their frontcourt.
Chris Boucher has done a solid job trying to cover up the flaws they have at the center position, but this offseason, expect the Toronto Raptors to try and pursue someone who can contribute on both ends of the court and allow Boucher to do what he does best coming off-the-bench.
This is why Andre Drummond is a very realistic target for the Raptors. He is a bruiser in the paint that can not only score in double-figures every night, but he can average a double-double over the course of the season since he is one of the best rebounding big men in the league.
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Right now, there are a ton of question marks about the future of the Raptors, especially after trading away Norman Powell at the deadline and opting to keep Kyle Lowry through his expiring contract. Who knows if Lowry will be back next season, but Toronto will have plenty of cap space to play around with should the All-Star point guard leave the Raptors in NBA free agency.
Investing in Andre Drummond could definitely be a big move for the Raptors to not only keep themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff picture moving forward, but to solidify their frontcourt to ensure no rebuild will have to happen.
They have Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. as their core pieces, but they are still one high-level talent away from being championship contenders moving forward. Drummond could fit right in with their style of play and potentially be that All-Star level center in Toronto that he once was in Detroit.
