One of the teams that people were keeping a close eye on ahead of the 2023 NBA trade deadline was the Toronto Raptors. They were one of the few franchises that were truly on the fence about what direction to head in.
After earning the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, the Raptors have struggled to find that level of success again this season. They are currently 26-31, which puts them behind the Washington Wizards and in 11th place in the conference.
If they wanted to make a move, they needed to address their lack of size in the frontcourt. They did that in a major way, re-acquiring Jakob Poeltl from the San Antonio Spurs. Poeltl was a lottery pick by the Raptors in 2016 but was traded to San Antonio as part of the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster in 2018.
Despite that addition, there were still rumors floating around that the Raptors could sell off some of their core. Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby were all involved in rumors to some extent. Ultimately, Toronto decided to stay pat after acquiring Poeltl.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers & Memphis Grizzlies Updates
Alas, it was not for a lack of trying. According to Zach Lowe on a recent episode of his Lowe Post pod, the Raptors fielded plenty of calls with the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies being the most aggressive suitors.
Both teams had set their sights on Anunoby and brought strong offers to the table. Each team made an offer that included three first-round picks, but the Raptors ultimately passed. While the draft compensation was nice, they were seeking young players over draft compensation. Neither package included that, so no deal was reached.
Lowe did not that the Pacers made the Houston Rockets’ second-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft available, which will likely be inside the top two of that round. But, it would also be a good guess that two of the picks that were offered were that of the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, which are ticketed to be in the mid-late 20s.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers & Memphis Grizzlies Updates
Anunoby would have been a great fit for either the Grizzlies or the Pacers. Only 25, he fits any timeline and his skill set is one that teams are looking to build rosters around. All of the reasons that he was an attractive trade target are also why the Raptors would want to keep him unless their exact asking price was met.
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