If the Toronto Raptors decide to sell players and make players like OG Anunoby available to other teams, they could dictate the direction of the market by the close of trading.
A general manager told the FOX News network, on condition of anonymity, that the “raps” represent the “first domino” in the silver circuit today. If President Masai Ujiri and Managing Director Bobby Webster decided to start a rebuild, they would have no trouble finding partners to complete transactions.
Among the names that would get the most attention from Canada’s only NBA team are Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and Anunoby.
VanVleet and Trent Jr., 28 and 24 respectively, are two of the Raptors’ key offensive players. However, they could achieve full autonomy this summer as their deal includes an exception that allows them to terminate it in 2023.
Trent Jr. has had 18.6 points and 2.5 rebounds per game since the beginning of the campaign. VanVleet, on the other hand, had 19.3 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game.
However, according to the leader interviewed by FOX News, it is Anunoby above all who has teams dreaming through the NBA. Excellent on defense – he leads the league in steals at 2.1 per game – the London native is under contract until 2025 and earns an annual salary of $18.6 million.
At 16.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per duel, Anunoby is one of the most versatile young players on the circuit, and he wouldn’t spin the perfect fortune in Toronto. The NBC network has also reported that the New York Knicks have offered the Raptors several first-round picks in exchange for his services.
However, if they really want to send him to other places, they have to hope that he avoids injuries. Anunoby left Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors with a wrist injury.
The Raptors (22-28), ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference, have five more games to play in the American West before they find their followers. If that streak proves fruitless, they could be forced to give up their dream of making the playoffs this season… and trade some of their best players.