Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Timberwolves Eyeing Marcus Smart

February 7th, 2022 at 12:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves remain interested in Celtics guard Marcus Smart, Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News said during an appearance on the Mackey & Judd podcast on SKOR North (Twitter link). However, Boston’s asking price for Smart may be too high for Minnesota.

“Here’s what I was told, I’m reading this verbatim: ‘Minnesota (is) definitely trying to trade for Marcus Smart,'” Wolfson said, quoting a source. “‘But unless they include a first-round pick or Jaden McDaniels in addition to Malik Beasley, (it) most likely doesn’t get done.'”

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report said last week that Smart was on the Timberwolves’ radar, especially in the event that they move Patrick Beverley in a separate deal. However, Beverley still seems more likely to stay put than to be moved, in which case the Wolves probably wouldn’t make another defense-first guard like Smart their top priority.

While Boston and Minnesota may not end up making a deal involving Smart, the two teams have apparently been having a variety of trade discussions leading up to the deadline. A previous report stated that the Celtics explored a possible deal that would’ve sent Josh Richardson and either Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith to Minnesota in exchange for Beasley. The Wolves reportedly weren’t interested in that concept at the time.

Celtics Discover Third Star In Robert Williams

February 6th, 2022 at 7:08pm CST by JD Shaw

The Celtics have discovered their third star in Robert Williams, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports opines. Teammate Jayson Tatum also praised Williams, mentioning he believes the 24-year-old has All-Star potential. “I feel like I talk about Rob every day,” he said. “Maybe All-Star aside, I think Rob has the potential to win Defensive Player of the Year one year, one of these days. I think that’s in his future coming up.”

Scotto’s Latest: McCollum, Covington, Finney-Smith, Raptors, Gallinari

February 5th, 2022 at 5:16pm CST by Arthur Hill

In the wake of Friday’s trade that sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers, many executives around the league expect the Trail Blazers to move CJ McCollum either before the deadline or during the offseason, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. The Pelicans and Mavericks are among the teams with interest in McCollum, Scotto adds.

Joe Cronin, the interim general manager in Portland, said the trade with L.A. was designed to create more playing time for Anfernee Simons, who has emerged as a potential star in his fourth NBA season. Cronin calls Simons, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, a “core piece” and said the team “wanted to create a runway here for him.” The same reasoning could apply to moving the 30-year-old McCollum, who will make $69.13MM over the next two seasons.

Scotto shares a few more trade-related tidbits:

After Friday’s trade was completed, several teams called the Clippers to see if they were interested in flipping Covington, who has a $12.975MM expiring contract. However, L.A. sees Covington as insurance if Nicolas Batum decides to turn down his $3.3MM player option this summer and would consider re-signing him even if Batum remains with the team. Scotto views Serge Ibaka as the next Clipper who might be traded.
Sources tell Scotto that the Mavericks passed on an offer of a potential late-lottery pick in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith. The 28-year-old forward will be a free agent this summer, but Scotto cites “sentiment around the league” that Finney-Smith is outplaying his maximum extension of $55.6MM over four years.
Pacers center Myles Turner is among the names the Raptors have considered in their search for help in the middle. Scotto identifies Jakob Poeltl, Robert Williams, Nicolas Claxton and Jusuf Nurkic as other potential Toronto targets, saying the Raptors have considered offering a first-round pick to the Spurs for Poeltl. The price for Turner would be even higher, as Indiana wants either two first-round picks or one first-rounder and a young player with potential.
The Raptors are among several teams with interest in acquiring veteran forward Danilo Gallinari from the Hawks. Scotto notes that Goran Dragic, who hasn’t played since November, could be used to help match salaries in a deal with Atlanta.

Windhorst/MacMahon’s Latest: Jazz, Pelicans, Fox, Mavs, Grizzlies

February 4th, 2022 at 3:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The relationship between Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell is back to being “passively aggressively awkward,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon stated in the latest episode of Brian Windhorst’s Hoop Collective podcast. Windhorst said he has heard the same thing, suggesting Gobert and Mitchell have gotten “under each other’s skin” and referring to it as “the most underplayed story in the league.”

Asked today about the report, Mitchell dismissed it, per Sarah Todd of The Deseret News: “No, no, no, no. We’re good. That’s not true. … I’m getting tired of answering (these questions) to be honest. Look, we put in the work, we’re leaders for our team, and we’re going through a tough stretch and that happens. But this is part of the business and that’s just how it goes.”

Rumors of tension between Gobert and Mitchell were at their height back in 2020 during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. We haven’t heard as much about the relationship since then — MacMahon says that when the Jazz have everyone healthy and are playing well, the issue “falls in the manageable category.”

Here are a few more highlights from Windhorst’s Hoop Collective podcast:

As the trade deadline nears, the Pelicans have been “pretty active looking to buy,” according to Windhorst, who reports that New Orleans has talked to the Trail Blazers, Kings, Rockets, and Hawks about CJ McCollum, De’Aaron Fox, Eric Gordon, and Kevin Huerter, respectively. Windhorst adds that Josh Hart is believed to be among the players the Pelicans would move.
Following up on Fox, Windhorst confirms that the Knicks have shown interest in the Kings‘ point guard and says that people around the league don’t really believe Sacramento is fully out of the Ben Simmons sweepstakes.
Windhorst and MacMahon have both heard whispers that the Mavericks are talking to the Celtics about Marcus Smart, though MacMahon admitted he’s not sure whether those discussions have taken place as of late. “I can say with certainty that they’ve shown interest in Marcus Smart in the past,” MacMahon said. “I don’t know how much of that has been recent.”
After stating earlier in the week that the Mavericks likely won’t move Jalen Brunson unless they get blown away by an offer, MacMahon repeated that point and applied it to Dorian Finney-Smith as well. MacMahon added that Brunson’s preference in free agency would be to stay in Dallas, but after earning a total of $6.1MM in his first four NBA seasons, the point guard’s top priority will be getting paid — he won’t be interested in taking a home-team discount.
Windhorst, MacMahon, and ESPN’s Tim Bontemps all agreed – based on what they’ve heard – that the Grizzlies are unlikely to do anything significant at the trade deadline unless they get an opportunity that’s a “grand slam home run.”

Garland, VanVleet Make All-Star Team For First Time

February 3rd, 2022 at 6:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland and Raptors guard Fred VanVleet were chosen for the All-Star Game for the first time in their respective careers. They were named, along with a handful of other players, to the Eastern Conference All-Star reserve pool on Thursday, per the NBA (Twitter link).

Garland is averaging 19.8 PPG and 8.2 APG for the surprising Cavaliers. VanVleet has posted averages of 21.5 PPG and 7.0 APG this season.

The list of Eastern Conference reserves also includes the Nets’ James Harden, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the Bulls’ Zach LaVine, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton and the Heat‘s Jimmy Butler. The reserves were chosen by the league’s coaches.

Garland will be playing in front of his home fans in Cleveland on February 20.

The pool of Eastern Conference starters was announced a week ago. Sixers center Joel Embiid, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nets forward Kevin Durant are the frontcourt starters, while the backcourt players in the starter pool are DeMar DeRozan (Bulls) and Trae Young (Hawks).

Atlantic Notes: Trent, Celtics, Beal, Harden

February 3rd, 2022 at 2:40pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Raptors shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. has been proving his mettle as a valuable addition to a scrappy Toronto team, opines Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Trent has firmly carved out a role for himself as a starter with the Raptors.

“It’s big,” head coach Nick Nurse said of Trent’s current scoring tear (31+ points in five straight games). “It gives you a huge lift and then he gives you somewhere to go, too, with some play calls and then it usually gives you something to counter back against, too, because he’ll draw so much attention that we can go back to someone else. That’s big.”

After shipping Norman Powell to the Trail Blazers for Trent at the trade deadline last season, the Raptors showed how much they expected out of Trent when they signed him to a three-year, $54MM contract in the offseason. Grange notes that Nurse and the rest of the Raptors organization emphasized their interest in seeing Trent step up as a defender and develop into a more significant three-point catch-and-shoot scorer.

Trent’s season has been so good, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN, that the 23-year-old may be too valuable to the 26-23 Raptors to use as a potential trade chip ahead of next week’s deadline.

“It’s just the opportunity to shoot and score, unlimited shots, kind of let me go out there and play,” Trent said. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I don’t have to look over my shoulder anymore. If I miss a shot or kick it off my leg, my coaching staff believes in me. They’re allowing me to play and allowing me to roll with the punches.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

As the NBA trade deadline approaches, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston previews potential options available to the Celtics. The team is coming off a hot January, in which it went 10-6 to move to a respectable 28-25 on the season, still only good for the No. 9 seed in the crowded East. Because Boston remains mired in relative mediocrity, Forsberg suggests the club could be in tax-avoidance mode, making big transactions less than likely before the 2022 offseason. That said, Forsberg speculates that the team could opt to offload guards like Romeo Langford or Dennis Schröder, among others.
The Sixers could face an intriguing opportunity at the trade deadline. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer ponders what Philadelphia should do if adding Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal suddenly becomes a viable option. Beal could opt out of the last year of his current deal with the Wizards and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. With that reality in mind as the deadline approaches, Beal could force Washington’s hand and compel the only team he has ever known to trade him. Pompey wonders if the Sixers will consider adding a high-level isolation scorer in his prime, even if Beal is having a down scoring year by his standards and has never been much of a defender. The team’s reluctance to include Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle in an outgoing trade could limit its ability to add a star player.
Nets shooting guard James Harden did not mince words when discussing Brooklyn’s current six-game losing slump, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I think we’ve done too much talking,” Harden said. “It’s just, we got to go out there and do it, and do it consistently. We have times when we’re great, and we have times when we’re really bad. We just got to find some consistency throughout the course of games more times than not.” It should be noted that Harden, averaging 22.5 PPG, 10.2 APG and 8.0 RPG on the season, said this on a night when he shot 2-of-11 from the floor and netted a total of four points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and six turnovers.

Celtics Rumors: Schröder, Richardson, Smart, Williams

February 2nd, 2022 at 9:26am CST by Luke Adams

There appears to be “a wave of momentum” toward the Celtics completing a Dennis Schröder trade in advance of the February 10 trade deadline, writes Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

In the latest HoopsHype Podcast, Michael Scotto singled out the Bulls as a team to watch for Schröder, noting that Chicago could use some backcourt help with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso sidelined.

Both Scotto and Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report mentioned a possible package of Troy Brown Jr. and a second-round pick in exchange for Schröder, with Fischer suggesting that framework has been circulating around the league.

Here’s more on the Celtics:

The Celtics explored a possible deal that would’ve sent Josh Richardson and either Romeo Langford or Aaron Nesmith to the Timberwolves in exchange for Malik Beasley, according to Jared Weiss and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Minnesota, right up against the tax and hoping to maintain roster flexibility for bigger deadline moves, wasn’t interested at the time, The Athletic’s duo says.
Marcus Smart‘s name has come up recently as a possible target for the Timberwolves, especially if they move Patrick Beverley in another deal, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. Weiss suggests the Celtics could probably move Smart for an expiring contract and a first-round pick right now if they wanted to, but adds that “there’s a lot more that goes into moving him beyond finding matching value.”
Celtics big man Robert Williams is believed to be on the Raptors‘ list of potential targets as they explore the market for a center, per Fischer. According to Weiss, Boston appears to be rebuffing interest in Williams for now, but anyone on the roster outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown could theoretically be had.
As we relayed earlier this morning, Richardson is considered a possible trade target for Utah.

Josh Richardson, Josh Okogie Among Players On Jazz’s Radar

February 2nd, 2022 at 8:27am CST by Luke Adams

Celtics swingman Josh Richardson and Timberwolves swingman Josh Okogie are among the wing options the Jazz have discussed as they weigh their trade options, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on HoopsHype’s latest podcast.

Utah also continues to keep an eye on Kings forward Harrison Barnes and Trail Blazers forward Robert Covington, according to Scotto. Barnes – whom new Jazz executive Danny Ainge pursued during his time in Boston – and Covington have previously been identified as potential targets for the club.

Barnes and Covington would certainly come at a higher cost in a trade than Richardson or Okogie. Scotto has heard from executives around the NBA that the Kings are seeking at least a first-round pick in any deal involving Barnes. Utah has a future first-rounder to offer along with Joe Ingles‘ expiring contract, but Scotto thinks Sacramento might push for a player like Bojan Bogdanovic, who could contribute right away, over Ingles, who will be sidelined for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL.

If the Jazz are unable to use Ingles and draft assets to land a player like Barnes or Covington, they could shift their focus to a target like Richardson. In his latest roundup of leaguewide trade rumors, Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report says that Utah has been “consistently mentioned” as a possible destination for Richardson.

A January report indicated Boston has been “surprisingly open” to discussing Richardson after trading for him and signing him to a one-year extension during the 2021 offseason. Richardson’s scoring average has dipped to 9.8 PPG, his lowest mark since his rookie season in 2015/16, but he’s hitting 39.1% of his three-point attempts and is a versatile defender.

Okogie, who is shooting a career-worst 35.6% from the floor in just 12.7 minutes per contest (32 games) in 2021/22, will be a free agent at season’s end and is likely viewed as a fallback option for Utah. The former first-round pick is earning just $4.1MM and is a solid defender, but won’t contribute much on offense and probably can’t be counted on to play a significant role on a contending team. He has been in and out of Minnesota’s rotation this season.

Trade Rumors: Brunson, Simmons, Horton-Tucker, More

February 1st, 2022 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

After Marc Stein reported on Monday that Jalen Brunson is more likely to stay with the Mavericks through February 10 than to be traded at the deadline, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon conveyed a similar sentiment during an appearance on Zach Lowe’s podcast, The Lowe Post.

“I have been assured that they will not move Brunson before the trade deadline unless it is, and I quote, a ‘What the bleep are they thinking?’ type of offer,” MacMahon said, according to NBC Sports.

Brunson has become an integral part of the Mavericks’ offense, posting career highs in PPG (15.7) and APG (5.6) so far this season. While he has generated plenty of interest ahead of his looming free agency, Dallas reportedly remains confident in its ability to re-sign him. However, Lowe – who previously suggested the flight risk for Brunson is “very, very real” – warns that the Mavs should be careful about how they approach those negotiations.

“The thing on Brunson is I wouldn’t mess around too much if I were the Mavs,” Lowe said, per NBC Sports. “That’s all I’ll say. I wouldn’t be too cute with the negotiating. I wouldn’t be too cute, based on what I’ve heard.”

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Executives around the NBA aren’t fully convinced that the Kings are really finished with the Ben Simmons sweepstakes, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. “The Kings needed to walk away because the Sixers were unreasonable in their demands,” an Eastern Conference executive told Bleacher Report. “If Philly backs off [those demands] some, perhaps Sacramento could still make a run at [Simmons].”
Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker is viewed by rival teams as a “marginal asset,” Pincus writes in the same Bleacher Report story. Even though he’s still a developing prospect, Horton-Tucker earns a higher salary than virtually every other 21-year-old in the NBA and will be able to reach unrestricted free agency as early as 2023, diminishing his value.
Pincus adds in the same Bleacher Report story that most teams expect Damian Lillard to sign a two-year contract extension with the Trail Blazers in the offseason. That suggests Lillard won’t be asking for a trade anytime soon.
The Celtics are open to virtually any trade inquiry leading up to the February 10 deadline, but any roster “fireworks” are more likely to happen in the offseason than this month, writes Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com. According to Bulpett, multiple sources believe that if Boston doesn’t play well in the second half, it’s possible Jaylen Brown could “acknowledge that the mix isn’t right and seek a move.”

2022 NBA Trade Deadline Preview: Atlantic Division

February 1st, 2022 at 9:03am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA’s February 10 trade deadline around the corner, we’re taking a closer look at all 30 teams, breaking down their potential plans for the deadline and identifying their most likely trade candidates. We’re focusing today on the Atlantic Division.

Boston Celtics

Trade deadline goals:

Despite some speculation that the Celtics may consider breaking up their wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, it doesn’t appear that’s a realistic possibility at this year’s trade deadline. Maybe Boston starts to weigh the idea more seriously in the 2022 offseason or at the 2023 deadline, but for now, the plan is to build around Tatum and Brown — and to find the right pieces to complement the two young stars.

The 26-25 Celtics likely won’t be strong buyers or strong sellers, since they’re a ways from title contention but have too much talent to bottom out and compete for a top draft pick.

Besides acquiring players who are good fits alongside Tatum and Brown, the Celtics appear motivated to trim team salary a little, both this year and next. An in-season trade of Juan Hernangomez moved Boston closer to escaping the luxury tax, but it’s unclear exactly how much more salary the club will have to shed to sneak under the tax line.

If Brown appears in 65+ games and makes the All-Star team, he’ll earn bonuses that push the Celtics approximately $2.75MM over the tax; if not, the C’s will only be over the tax threshold by about $850K. In the latter scenario, the team could salary-dump a single player to avoid being a taxpayer.

Top trade candidates:

Dennis Schröder is the most obvious trade candidate on the Celtics’ roster. He’s on a one-year contract, isn’t an ideal fit with Tatum and Brown, and seems unlikely to remain in Boston beyond this season. His $5.9MM expiring deal shouldn’t be difficult to move.

Al Horford and Josh Richardson have been mentioned in trade rumors in recent weeks, which is perhaps an indication that the Celtics may be looking to clear some money off their 2022/23 cap. Horford is owed a partial guarantee of $14.5MM on his $26.5MM salary for next season, while Richardson has a guaranteed $12.2MM cap hit. Both players would be unrestricted free agents in 2023.

Schröder, Horford, and Richardson aren’t Boston’s only trade candidates — anyone outside of Tatum and Brown could probably be had. I wouldn’t expect young center Robert Williams to go anywhere, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see any other young Celtics on the move, including former lottery picks Aaron Nesmith and Romeo Langford.

Longtime Celtic Marcus Smart is also the subject of more trade rumors this season, but president of basketball operations Brad Stevens values the veteran guard highly and won’t trade him without getting a strong return.

The Celtics have a series of sizeable trade exceptions that could be used to accommodate certain players and deals, but their tax concerns will reduce their options with those exceptions.

Brooklyn Nets

Trade deadline goals:

Kevin Durant is injured. Kyrie Irving is ineligible to play in home games. And James Harden is reportedly looking forward to testing the free agent market this summer.

It’s not an ideal situation for Brooklyn’s Big Three, but the odds of any of those three players being traded by February 10 are slim to none.

If and when they get Durant, Irving, and Harden on the court at the same time, the Nets still look like they could be the team to beat in the East. So any moves they make at the deadline will probably be tweaks around the edges of their roster, rather than something drastic.

Top trade candidates:

The Nets are working with Paul Millsap‘s camp to try to find a new home for the veteran big man, who hasn’t seen much action in his first year in Brooklyn, and hasn’t been very effective when he has played.

Brooklyn reportedly wants to get something of value in return for Millsap, but should probably be satisfied if it can get off the minimum-salary contract without attaching an asset or taking back any salary. That would open up a spot on the 15-man roster for the team to promote Kessler Edwards from his two-way contract and make sure he’s playoff-eligible.

Besides Millsap, Nic Claxton, Bruce Brown, and Jevon Carter are among the other Nets players whose names have popped up in trade rumors.

Claxton and Brown are free agents at season’s end, so if Brooklyn isn’t comfortable with giving them new deals and can improve this year’s roster by moving them, perhaps there’s a deal to be made. Carter, who is out of the rotation, is more expendable — based on how this season has gone, the team may welcome the opportunity to get off his $3.9MM salary for 2022/23.

New York Knicks

Trade deadline goals:

Even though the roster didn’t undergo major offseason changes, this season’s Knicks haven’t been able to recapture the magic that last season’s squad generated. The 24-27 team has struggled to find an effective starting lineup and has taken a step backwards on both offense and defense.

President of basketball operations Leon Rose has exercised patience every step of the way since taking the reins in the Knicks’ front office, so I wouldn’t count on him to sacrifice a handful of valuable draft assets to try to acquire players who can turn things around immediately. It’s equally unlikely that he’ll throw in the towel on this season and start selling off players for picks.

While any major changes can probably wait until the offseason, something’s got to give with the current roster. The mix of players isn’t right, and even with Derrick Rose sidelined, the rotation is too crowded for Tom Thibodeau to find regular minutes for Cam Reddish after the front office surrendered a protected first-round pick to get him. Some sort of consolidation trade may be in the cards.

Top trade candidates:

Kemba Walker‘s New York homecoming was a great offseason story, but it hasn’t been a success on the court. Walker isn’t the same offensive player he was in his prime before chronic knee injuries began to slow him down, and he’s never been an above-average defender. He’s on the trade block, but his multiyear contract doesn’t have positive value.

The same is probably true of another free agent the Knicks signed in the offseason — Evan Fournier has $37MM in guaranteed money owed to him for the two seasons beyond this one, and while that’s hardly an albatross, it’s not a bargain for a player whose offensive production has been inconsistent and who also isn’t a plus on defense.

New York would likely have more success shopping Alec Burks – whose $10MM annual salary is a solid value, given his contributions – and Mitchell Robinson, whose athleticism and rim-protecting ability makes him an intriguing prospect even with unrestricted free agency looming.

While the Knicks moved on from Kevin Knox in the Reddish deal, I’d be a little surprised if the team was willing to trade a more recent first-rounder like Obi Toppin or Immanuel Quickley. Still, Toppin continues to play a pretty modest rotation role and New York has received inquiries on Quickley, so it’s certainly not inconceivable.

Philadelphia 76ers

Trade deadline goals:

On the surface, the Sixers’ deadline goal is the NBA’s easiest to identify: they want to move Ben Simmons.

But it’s not quite that simple. More and more reports in recent weeks have suggested that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is willing to extend Philadelphia’s standoff with Simmons beyond the trade deadline and into the 2022 offseason, when the club hopes that more star players will be available and a wider variety of trade scenarios could be on the table.

Are they posturing? Maybe! But if that’s the case, we should start hearing pretty soon about Simmons trade talks getting more serious. Instead, at least one team (Sacramento) that looked like a serious suitor has pulled out of the discussions, at least until the Sixers lower their asking price — and there’s increasing skepticism that will happen by February 10.

It may seem like managerial malpractice to not take the best offer available for Simmons in order to immediately upgrade a roster that could be a serious threat to come out of a wide-open East. But the 76ers want to make sure they maximize the value of their best available trade chip and make themselves contenders for years to come, rather than chasing short-term success.

Top trade candidates:

If Simmons stays put, it’s unclear what other moves the Sixers might have up their sleeves. Players like Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Isaiah Joe, and Paul Reed have been mentioned in trade rumors, but only when tied to Simmons-related scenarios. It’s not out of the question that the team holding the biggest trade chip could make it through the deadline without making a single deal.

The 76ers do have draft picks available that could be used in non-Simmons trades to upgrade the roster. But they’ve committed their 2025 first-rounder to Oklahoma City, limiting their flexibility to some extent.

Plus, if the team is truly focused on trading Simmons in the offseason for a player like James Harden or Bradley Beal, it may want to hang onto its top draft assets to use as sweeteners in those scenarios.

Toronto Raptors

Trade deadline goals:

Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri hasn’t been shy in the past about making major trades at the deadline when he feels that his team is missing a piece. He acquired Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker in separate deals in February 2017; two years later, he landed Marc Gasol.

Those Raptors teams were closer to title contention than the current group — much closer, in the case of 2019’s squad, which eventually won a championship. Still, Toronto’s 2021/22 roster has an obvious hole at center that Ujiri will certainly be looking to address at the deadline.

I’d be shocked if Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, or Gary Trent Jr. go anywhere in the next 10 days, but no one else on the roster will be off-limits as the club goes shopping for a reliable option at center and perhaps a backup point guard.

Top trade candidates:

Goran Dragic appeared in just five games for the Raptors before being granted permission to leave the team and await his fate — his $19.44MM expiring contract will be a useful salary-matching tool in the right deal. Still, while teams would be interested in Dragic as a lower-cost target on the buyout market, he won’t have positive value at his current number, so Toronto will probably have to attach players or draft assets to get something worthwhile in return.

Earlier in the season, when he was struggling to produce and moving in and out of the rotation, Chris Boucher looked like a prime trade candidate for the Raptors. However, he has played better lately, so I wouldn’t expect him to be on the move unless he has to be included in a deal that improves Toronto’s roster.

I imagine the Raptors would be willing to discuss 2020 first-round picks Malachi Flynn and Precious Achiuwa, who haven’t taken the steps forward this season that the club had perhaps hoped for. Flynn is 23 years old and Achiuwa is just 22, so rival teams may see untapped potential in the duo.

The Raptors have traded away a couple future second-round picks, but own all their first-rounders and almost certainly would have to give up at least one of them if they want to acquire an impact center without moving one of their five core players.