Does this deal make sense for the Toronto Raptors?
Losing Kyle Lowry this offseason after opting not to trade him at the NBA trade deadline was a big hit to the Toronto Raptors, but they were able to salvage Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa from this sign-and-trade with Miami. Achiuwa is definitely a young guy they could utilize in their frontcourt moving forward, but Dragic is a guy they would be interested in moving.
His $19.4M contract this year is not favorable and if they can flip him and two second-round picks for Marvin Bagley III and Furkan Korkmaz, they would probably be thrilled. Bagley is entering the final year of his contract as well, but Toronto’s frontcourt has been a mess over the last year or so.
Being able to have another strong player like Marvin Bagley III to pair with Pascal Siakam, Chris Boucher, Khem Birch, Scottie Barnes and now Precious Achiuwa in their frontcourt not only gives Toronto more talent, but more depth as well, something they have not had in their frontcourt.
Adding Bagley gives Toronto more depth in the frontcourt and adding Furkan Korkmaz gives them more depth on the wing. As a team, the Raptors ranked 15th in the league last season in three-point shooting and outside of OG Anunoby, they did not have someone on the wing who shot above 36% last season. Korkmaz shot 37.5% from deep last year and for his career, has shot 37.7% from deep.
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Not only does adding Marvin Bagley III and Furkan Korkmaz give the Raptors more overall depth in the post-Lowry era, but this deal could also be a means for Toronto to potentially look to trade Pascal Siakam. Getting Bagley gives them an abundance of depth in their frontcourt and he could wind up turning into a cheaper long-term option for them that can be a key contributor next to the likes of Scottie Barnes, their No. 4 overall pick this year.
Trading Siakam is something Toronto has shown little interest in this offseason, but it has crossed their minds, which is why he could definitely be on the market should the Raptors find themselves involved in a three-team deal like this one with Philadelphia and Sacramento.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Lillard, Hield, Ingles, Siakam
Adding Korkmaz and Bagley, plus whatever they would get from potentially dealing Siakam could give the Raptors plenty of value they need to build themselves back into a championship contender in no time. A three-team deal like this is definitely an intriguing situation and it should be interesting not only to see what happens with the 76ers and Kings in regards to Ben Simmons, but what team president Masai Ujiri’s plan is with the Raptors moving forward.
