Does this trade make sense for the Toronto Raptors?
Quite honestly, it is not a matter of this trade making sense or not for the Toronto Raptors because if Kyle Lowry wants to go to the Mavericks, Toronto does not really have much say in this decision.
Since it would be a sign-and-trade, they would have a little bit of jurisdiction over what they can get in return, but they are not going to be getting the same kind of value for Lowry that they could have received at the trade deadline this past year.
Of course the Raptors will try to get everything they can if Lowry is leaving, but realistically, their expectations should not be too high on the receiving end of things in a Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade scenario this offseason. Dwight Powell and Josh Richardson are two experienced guys who do not bring favorable contracts to Toronto, but they could make an impact in their roles.
Josh Richardson has been known to be a reliable “3-and-D” type of player over the years and seeing as they are limited with reliable players on the wing, Toronto could actually look to utilize Richardson for 20-25 minutes per game, especially with the pending free agency of Gary Trent Jr.
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As mentioned before, the Raptors need to fix their frontcourt and specifically, their center position. Aron Baynes is a player they will likely move on from and Chris Boucher is better in a sixth-man role, which is why the Raptors need another center.
Dwight Powell is nobody’s first-choice, but he was an impactful player before suffering an Achilles injury in 2020 and could potentially get back to playing like he did pre-injury.
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Getting some future value in the draft is also not terrible for the Raptors, even though they would prefer to get immediate draft compensation if Lowry is leaving. Having the fourth pick in this year’s draft gives the Raptors the ability to draft a guy like Jalen Suggs to replace Kyle Lowry should he leave, so Toronto is not in the worst position possible should Lowry go elsewhere in free agency.
