The Toronto Raptors have been stuck in mediocrity for the last three seasons but they do have a lot of players that could help put a contender over the top.
After winning the championship in 2019, the Raptors had the second-best record in the NBA in 2020; in 2021 the Raptors finished with a 27-45 record; in 2022 the Raptors finished with a 48-34 record, and last season finished with an even 41-41 record.
In the offseason, they lost All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet and replaced him with Dennis Schroder. They seem focused on competing but they're clearly a tier below the best teams in the East and that should get more obvious as the season goes on. As this team progressively gets worse, they still have a lot of good players who can give value to a contending team. Here are three players on the Raptors that won't last the entire 2023-24 season.
Raptors who won't last the whole season: 3. Pascal Siakam
Pascal Siakam has been the best player on the Raptors for the last four seasons. In that time he has averaged 22.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 steals with 47/33/78 shooting splits while making two All-Stars teams and two All-NBA teams.
Just this past season Siakam averaged a career-high 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and a career-high 5.8 assists, with 48/32/77 shooting splits, a league-high 37.4 minutes per game, and was selected to the All-Star team.
Siakam is joining a group of so many All-Stars and All-Star caliber players who are on mediocre or bad teams. They're in trade talks year in and year out with some of them being traded and some of them not.
This season the Raptors could finally move on from Pascal Siakam, especially with both sides struggling to agree on an extension. They are entering this season with arguably their worst roster in the last decade and are expected to be at best a .500 team.
If that's the case, it would be in their best interest to trade Siakam to a team that can give them some value. This would allow them to go in a rebuilding direction, let Scottie Barnes rise as the guy for this team and Siakam gets to go to a contending team.
Siakam can bring some serious value to a contending team so they will be calling to see if he's available. The reason he is at number three on this list is because Siakam has expressed interest in signing a contract extension so the only way he's traded is if Raptors management decides that it's best that he's gone.
Raptors who won't last the whole season: 2. Gary Trent Jr.
Gary Trent Jr. was traded to the Raptors in 2021 for Norman Powell and has become a very solid NBA player. In his time in Toronto, he's averaged 17.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.6 steals with 42/37/84 shooting splits.
Last season he averaged 17.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 43 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from 3, and 83.9 percent from the free throw line. Going into this season he's on the last year of his deal worth about $18 million.
Since Trent is on a very manageable contract and is up for an extension, he can be locked up by a contender for the next few years. Trent has become the perfect 2-guard where he can shoot the 3-pointer really well and has been top 10 in steals per game over the last two seasons. That is a player that a lot of teams could use on their roster.
The incentive that the Raptors have to trade Trent is that they drafted Grady Dick with the 13th overall pick in the draft this year who basically does what Trent does. He is a great shooter and scorer and is a solid defender.
With the Raptors taking so long to give Trent a contract extension and drafting a player similar to Trent, it is a sign that the Raptors will trade him.
Raptors who won't last the whole season: 1. OG Anunoby
The player who has been on the trade block for the Raptors the longest is OG Anunoby. He had the best year of his career averaging 16.8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a league-high 1.9 steals, with 48/39/84 shooting splits while being selected to the All-Defensive second team.
Standing at 6-foot-7, Anunoby is a versatile player who can do just about everything. He can score from anywhere, is a very good defender and defend multiple positions, and most importantly is a very good shooter.
He is the perfect player for any team and is on a contract that is $18 million for this season plus a player option for $19 million next year. This is a cheap contract for most teams for a player this effective.
The Raptors have been in trade talks centered around Anunoby since last year and Anunoby himself has expressed interest in looking at his options in free agency. If Anunoby is 100 percent going to decline his player option and become a free agent, the Raptors will end up trading him.
There will be a lot of teams that are willing to offer Anunoby a bigger contract than what the Raptors are willing to offer. It would be a lot more beneficial for the Raptors to trade Anunoby and get something back for him than to let him walk in free agency.
The teams best suited for him include the Knicks, 76ers, Cavaliers, Heat, Nuggets, and the Grizzlies. It is almost certain that Anunoby will be on the market and a lot of A tier and B tier teams will be looking at trading for him.
