Team No. 2: Toronto Raptors
Moves Toronto made: Trading for Jakob Poeltl, trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby too late
The Toronto Raptors would have the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. That is if they didn’t trade their first-round pick to get Jakob Poeltl, one of the most average centers in the league. It was a puzzling move at the time. Teams were monitoring the Raptors to see if they would be sellers and move their bigger pieces like Siakam and Anunoby to jumpstart a rebuild. Instead, they went in the opposite direction, but in a relatively meaningless way, while giving up a significant draft asset.
They finally decided to trade away Siakam and Anunoby this year, but it wasn't peak value for either player. While Toronto got real assets back in both deals, it seems like the Pacers and the Knicks got the better end of each deal.
What this means for Portland: Whether rebuilding or contending, have a clear sense of direction. If you’re rebuilding, trade veteran assets when they are at peak value.
The Blazers have a lot of parallels to where the Raptors were a few seasons ago. In the Blazers case, they should trade veteran pieces such as Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon, and Matisse Thybulle. The Raptors finally decided to retool around Scottie Barnes and their younger players. Portland must do the same around Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Toumani Camara.
Portland must stop straddling the line between rebuilding and keeping valuable veterans around. The Raptors are a prime example of a team prolonging its inevitable roster overhaul. They eventually came to terms with it this year but didn’t maximize the assets they could have gotten in return had they done it earlier.