Goran Dragic – Toronto Raptors

Losing Kyle Lowry in the offseason was a really big blow to the Toronto Raptors, especially since they had the option to trade him to the Heat, 76ers, or Lakers last season at the NBA trade deadline for more value than they received this offseason. Lowry was traded to the Heat this offseason in a sign-and-trade deal that resulted in Toronto getting Precious Achiuwa and veteran guard Goran Dragic.

Both Achiuwa and Goran Dragic are not terrible players, but this Raptors team really has no identity right now. We have no idea what to expect from Nick Nurse’s squad until they actually take the court and play for a week or two during the regular season. 

Toronto has some really solid talents in Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr. and others, but there really is nothing to this team right now. Siakam is currently out with a shoulder injury, VanVleet seems to be nothing more than a high-level role player in the backcourt and there are question marks about whether or not Anunoby and Trent Jr. can be key, core pieces moving forward.

With no true leader on this team and this upcoming year being a mystery for the Toronto Raptors, it should not come as a shock if Masai Ujiri decides to make this team a “seller” before the trade deadline. Siakam and VanVleet were instrumental in the Raptors winning a title in 2019 and they have proven to be championship pieces, but they need another established star next to them.

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Moving some pieces around at the trade deadline, specifically, Goran Dragic seems like something we will see happen for the Raptors, especially since they do need to do some kind of a small rebuild, but they could utilize Dragic as a key contract to move in a potential Ben Simmons trade. 

Toronto is one of many teams interested in trading for Ben Simmons and while his fit could definitely be questionable since the Raptors have VanVleet and Siakam, they could probably make something work. Moving Goran Dragic, who is owed just under $20M in the final year of his contract this year makes the most sense for the Raptors to do, but would the 76ers want to take the veteran point guard in return? 

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This is definitely a question that needs to be answered and it may be the difference in Toronto having a chance to land Ben Simmons in a trade early on in the new season. Goran Dragic seems like a likely player to be moved at some point this season and with the Raptors’ future up-in-the-air at this point, they could very much be in the running for Simmons.