The core of the Toronto Raptors is a young one, but also an expensive one. They aren’t set up for a complete teardown and rebuild, nor even a partial one, like the Oklahoma City Thunder did while still having Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on a max deal. Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl are all signed to long-term, expensive contracts.
Does that mean the Raptors should push the chips in to make a swing for a star? It’s an intriguing idea. Lauri Markkanen is just 27 years old, so he can grow with the current core. His shooting next to Scottie Barnes would do wonders for the floor spacing, and the passing on the team between Barnes, Quickley and Barrett would allow Markkanen to thrive moving off-ball and being set up for shots.
A starting lineup of Quickley, Barrett, Markkanen, Barnes and Poeltl would have plenty of size and plenty of scoring pop. The difficulty would be on defense, as Barrett is miscast as a perimeter stopper, but having Barnes and Poeltl on the backline may give them the defensive floor necessary to go along with a dynamic offense.
The other reason this trade is worth doing is the price; the Raptors’ picks are not premium picks moving forward because they’re likely to fall in the middle third of the first round, with a team not bad enough to hit the bottom and not good enough to win with the current group. This package is well worth it for a player like Markkanen, an All-Star who fits well with any team.
The massive question is the financial one; Markkanen is on an expiring contract and has in mind a maximum contract next summer. Before doing this trade Toronto would need significant assurances from Markkanen’s camp that he would re-sign with the Raptors.
Doing so would make this team incredibly expensive moving forward; assuming they declined Ochai Agbaji’s fourth-year rookie option they would be pressed up against the first luxury tax apron, and likely filling out the rest of the roster would put them above it. That’s an expensive price tag for a team that hasn’t proven anything with this group.
If the young core was a couple of years older, this deal would make even more sense as Barnes and Quickley would be more ready to compete in the playoffs. As it is, if this deal fell into their laps, it may be worth it to take the swing. Is it guaranteed to work? Certainly not, but the value is great, the fit is exciting, and the financial cost may not be enough to tank it.
The Raptors have won big betting on bold trades in the past; perhaps they can do so again. If they truly believe Scottie Barnes is ascending into superstar, Top-10 status, this deal makes even more sense.
