NBA rumors: How Raptors can help other teams at trade deadline

01/20/2025 06:00 PM

The Toronto Raptors signaled the beginning of a rebuild last season when they traded both Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. The organization sits at 10-32 in 2024-25, which is second-last in the Eastern Conference. The rebuild is definitely in full force and ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, it appears the front office is looking to make some deals.

Via Jake Fischer:

“The Toronto Raptors, according to league sources, have also signaled a willingness to grease deals around the NBA before this upcoming trade deadline,” Fischer wrote in a guest appearance on Marc Stein’s Substack

As Fischer noted, The Raptors sit $10.1 million under the tax, which means they have lots of flexibility to match salaries in any potential trades before February 6.

“They are as well positioned as anyone to facilitate a trade,” one Eastern Conference executive said of the Raptors, per Stein. “If a team needs to send out four players to make the math work, do you send one to Toronto?”

While Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett appear to be the building blocks for Toronto, there are three players in particular who could be included in any potential trades — Chris Boucher, Kelly Olynyk, and Bruce Brown. Olynyk is reportedly one of several bigs across the league who may be available via trade.

The Raptors waived Bruno Fernando in early January, opening up a roster spot. They also have more than $42 million on expiring contracts ahead of this summer, which may be appealing to other organizations around the league. Brown, for example, is on a $23 million expiring deal. While he’s a solid role player, Brown could be a nice addition for a lot of teams. We’ve seen the impact he’s made in the past with clubs like the Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and Brooklyn Nets.

It will be interesting to see what the Raptors do in the coming weeks.

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