Does this trade make sense for the Toronto Raptors?
If the Toronto Raptors are going to trade Chris Boucher because they cannot afford to keep him after this season, it would probably be wise for them to do so at the NBA trade deadline. While they run the risk of him getting injured and his value declining, the Raptors have a chance to get back to their winning ways, so they should be willing to trade Boucher for value.
Toronto only won 27 games last season, but they were bad last year in large part thanks to injuries and health protocols mandated by the league. Everything that could have gone wrong for the Raptors last year went wrong, so it is hard to say that they are just a bad team that is not going to get better.
In fact, they have proven that they are getting better and they have been highly competitive in almost every game played thus far this season. However, Boucher does not seem to be a part of their long-term plans and currently ranks 10th on the team in minutes played per game.
The Raptors are not going to want to spend a lot of money to keep Boucher after his contract expires next offseason, especially since Anunoby, Siakam, Barnes, Birch and Achiuwa are all under-contract for next season, which is why trading him is a smart thing for this organization to do.
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However, this trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves may not be the best option they have. Josh Okogie is a bright young talent and two second-round picks gives the Raptors a fair amount of value, but they may be able to acquire another impactful player that can contribute more meaningful minutes right away than Okogie.
If they make Boucher available, there will be a handful of teams around the league interested in him, so this trade with the Timberwolves could just be one of several different proposals coming their way. The trade does make sense, but getting the most value is going to be key for Toronto.
They can probably get more value in a trade involving Chris Boucher from another team in the league, which is why trading Boucher to the Timberwolves in this deal may seem a little unrealistic, at least at the moment.
