The Toronto Raptors went big game hunting this NBA offseason. They were heavily involved in the Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes before he and the Brooklyn Nets decided to continue their partnership, leading to a rescinding of his trade request. Toronto was also one of the suitors mentioned for Donovan Mitchell.
No deal came to fruition in either case, but the Raptors did make one significant addition in free agency. They signed Otto Porter Jr. away from the reigning champion Golden State Warriors and he fits their game plan perfectly as a lengthy, two-way wing player.
While adding some size to the rotation was likely the No. 1 goal this offseason, the Raptors have other areas of the team that could use a little help, one of them being the bench. Toronto’s second unit struggled at times last season to consistently produce offensively, putting a lot of pressure on the starting five to carry the load.
A Mitchell trade never materialized for them, but they should still engage the Utah Jazz in trade talks. Utah has a ton of veterans that they are now going to entertain trade offers for and the Raptors should get in on the bidding.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz & Toronto Raptors Updates
One player that would fill a need for them is Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson won the Sixth Man of the Year award during the 2020-21 season and one NBA scout believes he should be a target of Toronto’s on the trade market.
“One of the main things that held Toronto back last year was a lack of bench production. That changes if you can get a scorer like Jordan Clarkson in there. They already have a lot of talent on the wing to help cover him up defensively when they need to. Both sides have strengths and weaknesses that would complement one another nicely.”
Defense is one area that Toronto excels in as Nick Nurse’s frenetic, switching game plan is tough to find a rhythm against. Sacrificing a little on that end of the court for a player such as Clarkson would be worthwhile as he is instant offense on the other end.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz & Toronto Raptors Updates
It is a good trade-off for the Raptors to make seeing how much they struggled finding bench production last season. The price to acquire him shouldn’t be very expensive either as his contract is guaranteed through this season and he has a player option for the 2023-24 campaign.
