How This Trade Impacts Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors surprised a lot of people with how well they played last season. Many presumed they would be entering a rebuild with Kyle Lowry departing in free agency. Instead, they retooled and Nick Nurse rebuilt a game plan to get the most out of the roster he had.
The Raptors were loaded with long, athletic players that enabled Nurse to play a frenetic defense with a ton of switchability. It earned them the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they were exposed a bit in the postseason.
Toronto lacked size and the Philadelphia 76ers took full advantage. Just having someone with some size to slow down opponents is important to find and they address that need by adding Myles Turner to the mix.
Turner is a unique big man though, which won’t require too much game plan adjusting. Offensively, things worked because the Raptors had willing shooters at every spot. Turner is a capable stretch five, so he will fit in well on that end of the court.
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Defensively Turner is an elite rim protector. He will provide the team with a play capable of banging down low, enabling the long athletes to play on the perimeter and create havoc. T.J. McConnell is also an excellent fit on this end of the court and provides much-needed depth behind Fred VanVleet.
Parting ways with OG Anunoby is tough, but if he is truly unhappy with his role on the team, trading him makes sense. While Turner may not have the ceiling of Anunoby, the team could be better as they are more balanced. Scotte Barnes Jr. can slide into the small forward spot with Pascal Siakam assuming his role at power forward and Gary Trent Jr. at shooting guard.
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Getting a first-round pick is also very valuable. That will improve Toronto’s trade packages in their pursuit of All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Durant as they can now trade five first-round picks.
