The Toronto Raptors could have a big move up their sleeve this offseason.
The Raptors are almost always involved in trade talks involving a superstar. A few years ago, they were linked to Kevin Durant, then they were in the running for Damian Lillard. And of course, they struck a big trade for Kawhi Leonard in the 2018 offseason.
Now the Raptors could be looking to make another big splash.
“The Raptors are a team that is starting to make noise within the league about looking for a big fish,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast. “There are some teams that sniff the ability to make a move and I think Toronto is one of those teams.”
The Eastern Conference could be wide open going into next season. The Boston Celtics will be without Jayson Tatum and the Milwaukee Bucks are expected to take a step back. That leaves the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers at the top of the conference. However, there will be an opportunity for a middle tier team to take giant step forward.
“Any team that wants to make a move this summer, especially a team in the Eastern Conference, you’re going to have Giannis [Antetokounmpo] on the board,” Windhorst said.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri has long coveted Giannis Antetokounmpo going back to the 2013 NBA Draft. Antetokounmpo’s name has been coming up a ton in trade talks and if the Milwaukee Bucks superstar does request a trade, Toronto will almost certainly be apart of those conversations.
“Teams in the league are getting the impression that Toronto is going to try to do something…Toronto is one of those teams that is sitting there on the balls of its feet,” Windhorst said.
It’s unclear what a potential Raptors trade for Antetokounmpo would look like. But any deal for the two-time NBA MVP would likely include Toronto’s young star Scottie Barnes.
It will be interesting to see how active the Raptors are this summer, but it seems like they are looking to be aggressive in hopes of being competitive once again.
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