What is the Toronto Raptors’ future after the trade? | The Athletic NBA Show

What is the Toronto Raptors’ future after the trade? | The Athletic NBA Show

Let’s swing to Toronto Toronto gets RJ Barrett and Emanuel quickly and a 2024 second round pick the the 31st pick in the in the 2024 draft is that how we do this is this is how when you want to talk about the value of the trade you talk about it as

The 31st pick and when you want to go on the other side of it it’s a second route pick is pick a fake first can we can we just start calling that a f what is it no longer a fake first I don’t know 40 or something yeah like that’s really the

Question I mean would I don’t know you you probably say you’d rather have the 31st pick than the 30th just for the from a flexibility standpoint but yeah unless that dude turns into a player and then you’re in trouble because they become a free agent must much sooner

Yeah that’s the problem all right let’s let’s talk about these guys um I Toronto they they get a couple of good young players they bring RJ Barrett home and I I actually think RJ is you know he’s had an interesting season but but not a bad favorite player uh see I he’s been

Pretty good the pendulum on him is wild like I feel like I’ve sort of been largely in the middle on it and I think that when people were were huge into him they were too like he’s getting talked about like the the worst contract in the league and he’s like okay he’s making

Like starter Wing money and like is he a starting NBA wing on a playoff level team maybe not the way he’s played this year but I think that that doesn’t it’s not it’s not a huge gap between where he is and and that spot so I think that’s

Like that’s fine and then and then quickly getting who’s been you know from a from an impact standpoint has been a monster his entire career like the Knicks win possessions with quickly in the game and have done his entire in his entire career and if he can carry that

Over into a a larger role in Toronto then we’re talking about just a really really good player if you look at what they’ve been doing with with denn shuder and how how much they’ve been relying on him I I mean I I think Quickly’s going to get a lot of opportunity with the

Ball in his hands um you know it at least gives him some some clarity as hey this is this is our Direction yeah it’s interesting with quickly I’m I like quickly I’m not as high on him as everybody else you know I think he’s gonna put up good numbers in Toronto I

Think he’s gonna put up numbers for this kid’s a star and then everybody’s gonna start comparing him to Tyrese Maxi which I don’t think he’s close to except they’re both terrible on the defensive end so maybe that’s the comparison but the uh I think the thing for me with quickly is he

Doesn’t create enough which is what Seth was alluding to with him with the Knicks besides the 20 game stretch I think last season where he started and he did really well he constantly got to go up against the second team on a more regular basis than than normal so now

It’s a little different with him being the guy uh I think him pairing with Scotty Barn is actually going to be really good I think that’s going to be a lot of fun with that stuff when I look at it from the Toronto side like on the

Court I understand it makes sense great stuff good trade when I look at it off the the the the larger picture the organization or whatnot I think this was a mistake not in trading form I just think they held on to ogn anobi way too long I

Think they could have gotten more for him last season I think the uh they could have gotten players and draft picks and first round draft picks that you know were not the you know kind of first round extended draft picks not even necessarily late Lottery but I

Think they could have gotten a bevy of picks for him in the way teams were bidding for him and over bidding for him well we all heard four first last year or well that’s what they wanted that’s what they wanted I think I think the number I think they were getting I think

They had offers for three first which is still pretty damn good for a dude um like OG and anobi but like I think they kind of overplayed their card here a little bit and I know Toronto fans are going to be up in arms and we got our

Guy and we got the maple Jordan and all that stuff but you know um I think that’s actually my least favorite part of the trade for them is like like if if RJ being Canadian played any part in them wanting to do that yeah no no for

Sure I I was just that’s just not letting me Rift thanks um you know maybe he’s just jealous because I’m still in Hawaii uh the uh lovely weather today um the but the thing is for me when you look at it in terms of how the organization needs to build and whatnot

This team and this organization would have been better off making this move last year oh yeah when they could have gotten more for OG and I think you know it’s and for people who are like who aren’t looking at who just looking at draft picks as players that you would

Pick in the draft you’re not looking at the fact of we’re talking about the Knicks being able to make a big move because they have a ton of other people’s picks you don’t interact like I think that’s the issue and then the other side of it that I don’t think

People are really aware of is yo if this pick if this trade makes them a team that’s in a playing tournament team they probably lose their pick this year because that goes to uh San Antonio because it’s top six% protected for the yaka purle trade from last season so now

It’s almost a negative value in terms of picks and draft Capital with all that stuff if you lose that pick so if this thing is seven or or later that’s the Spurs pick I just think that it to me it just wasn’t for the past year just not well

Planning stuff from Toronto they did well for what they’re going to do on the court now but I don’t think this is something that takes you to the point where I go oh Toronto’s maybe not this year but next year they’re gonna be great it’s like I

Still think they have a long way to go well I mean the the Fred Van vet deal last year you know or non-deal I should say they they didn’t move on from him they lose him in free agency for nothing um you know something is better than

Nothing if you already know what you’re gonna do you know we’ll see how it plays out with yakum it I yeah I mean I think that it’s it’s sort of from from what time Horizon are you looking at and like from the standpoint of getting to this year with

Anobi as an expiring contract I think they did well and as you say could they have done better last year probably um you know could could they you know before last season or or for however long an anobi has been sort of rumored as a as a top trade candidate yeah

Probably the question is is you know where were they in their evaluation of their team overall were they ready to to flip things over and it I think the calculus is like with the benefit of hindsight knowing now that that you know their roster is not no I’m not this is

Not I’m not trying I’m not I’m not trying to defend I’m just I’m I’m you know the complication of of that of the sort of the multi-period game of of knowing when to when it’s time and when you know when you can actually get permission to flip your roster over that

Way like we we’re we’re sort of taking on faith four first round picks and like you know people say things nobody’s saying they had four first round picks we know they had three first round picks Seth four first round picks was what they were saying they were right which

Was again ridiculous it’s the same way as we will talk about other teams later overvaluing their guys and the the market and all of those things but like when we talk about like it’s pretty obvious where this team was heading last year before the trade de line we knew

Fred Van vet was gone right like we knew Nick nurse was gone we we knew the coach was gone we we knew the problems that were coming with this team you know we knew there they’ve been try the rumors of Pascal seak have gone beyond last

Season like you know were two years ago where he was unhappy might move him or whatnot and things like that like it’s to me it’s just like when I look at it and we’re talking about the timeline and stuff like that this team would have been better off breaking this whole

Thing down and and and and and building around Scotty Barnes who I think is great yeah Quickly’s good I think he’s not going to be a great playoff player I’m gonna just put it out there now like I we we you know the Nick Situation’s different Off the Bench tibs didn’t

Really Vibe with him it’s gonna be him as a starter he can’t defend so that’s a playoff problem for you you know and that’s I mean it’s the same thing Philly we’re gonna find out about Philly with and Maxi in that in instance when he becomes the number one guy but I think

Maxi is just a better player I agree with that for for sure I agree with that um this has got to be a precursor to a SE yakum trade I mean you you mentioned Mo they can’t Lo like they it would be a disaster to lose their

Pick this year uh so they need to make sure that they don’t make the play in SE yakum is expiring I mean it just it’s gonna happen I mean this is this is we’re on their way so well I I don’t know because you can never last year we had them all pegged

For for Sellers and they W and got yak a purle that’s going to cost them probably a pick this year another guy they probably need to move you know this year

The Athletic NBA Show discuss the Toronto Raptors’ future after trading away OG Anunoby.