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According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Toronto Raptors have entered the trade landscape with large dreams and the potential to land a star power. Windhorst continued on the line of what Toronto’s front office had started exploring in major trade avenues to acquire a franchise-altering name. It seems the Raptors are currently trying to put a team together in a desperate attempt to get it all back after missing the playoffs last season.
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“Nah, I don’t want to get too far afield from this, but since this has come up, Raptors are a team that is starting to make noise within the league about looking for a big fish,” Windhorst said. This rather mysterious statement has already set the basketball scene aflame with discussions on whether or not a top-tier player is heading to the north.
This report almost immediately set off a great online debate among basketball fans. Some questioned why any star would want to go to Toronto, with one fan even stating, “No intelligent person thinks this let alone says it out loud.” The comment continued with the accusation that Canada has high taxes and harsh winters, which come in as deterrents for free agents. Another doubter asked, “Why would anybody want to go there outside of money?” That said, if making money is going to be its only allure, they’d have to pay the elite player double just for their services.
And then there were others who chose to ignore the judgmental antis. On the other hand, those who stood by the Raptors felt that Toronto’s young core including Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett would make for attractive pieces in a trade. One hopeful individual simply stated, “Raptors should get a superstar,” conveying his belief that the franchise can pull off a major deal.
The juiciest speculations centered about possible trade destinations. Most of the speculation revolved around the question of a “big fish” referring to Giannis Antetokounmpo, with one commenting “Scottie Barnes + filters + 6FRP to Bucks for Giannis,” as a preposterous example of an offer. Others think that the Raptors have their eyes set on Dejounte Murray or Paul George. “The Raptors are one (1) Paul George away,” one fan chimed in jokingly.
There sure were some strange turns, one sarcastically suggesting watching Ben Simmons’ practice videos, while another weirdly injected hockey with, “McDavid has a better chance of wanting to go to Raptors than the Leafs.” The random hockey reference somewhat shows just how these trade rumors have grabbed hold of the sports community across Canada.
Minutes later, the chorus came in, bashing the Raptors’ recent spiral with one stating the franchise “destroyed their Championship team within 5 seasons” and the other bashing team President Masai Ujiri for failing once again to build a competitive team post-2019 title.
The Timing of the report was tremendous for the Raptors. It really looks like after trading off some big veterans like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby last season, the Raptors are now prepared to make fast strides in their rebuild by acquiring a clear star to go with their young core. It’s interesting to try and guess who their targets may be, as the mere whisper of Toronto’s pursuit of the bigger bats has seemingly lit up their fan base with hopes of a fast return to contention.
Whether or not the Raptors get themselves a star player is the matter for later. Historically, the franchise has never been great at persuading a top free agent to come here, so going the trade route and gathering elite talent has been the best solution ever since. Apart from the trophy on their necks and the astonishing coup of landing Kawhi Leonard in 2018, the Toronto front office really does know how to surprise the world when least expected.
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As things start heating up around the NBA offseason, all eyes will now turn to Toronto to see if these trade rumors boot up some actual traction. Speculation remains rampant for now, while both fans and analysts engage in heavy debate regarding what superstars could truly think about jumping on board for the Raptors and what exactly needs to happen for such a blockbuster deal to become a reality.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
