The Atlanta Hawks have reportedly taken Paul Millsap off of the trade market, officially throwing cold water on the hopes and dreams of Toronto Raptors fans.
Millsap was seen as the perfect fit in Toronto’s frontcourt both in the short and long term—the type of player who would even the odds a bit as they stare down another potential Eastern Conference finals meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now that he’s ostensibly off the market, though, the avenues for Toronto to gain ground on the Cavs other than internal improvement are far from obvious.
This much we know: The Raptors have long been interested in upgrading at the power forward spot, but the task has proven exceedingly difficult. Along with the almost-trade for Millsap last summer, they pursued Pau Gasol hard as a free agent.
We also know the team lacks cap space—especially when factoring in a new contract for Kyle Lowry this off-season—making a trade the most realistic option of adding a player who can help them win now.
So it might make sense to broaden the scope of what the team is looking for. Let’s take a look at a handful of the names out there in trade rumours now—both power forwards and otherwise—and see how they fit with the Raptors should the team decide to chase a move before the deadline.
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
Ric Bucher has reported that Butler is being shopped by the Bulls. The team is outside of a playoff spot and has made a decision to value youth, benching Rajon Rondo in favour of Michael Carter-Williams. While top-10 players in the league at the age of 27 hardly ever get traded but this might be a unique situation. From the Raptors’ perspective, he without question would provide a badly needed defensive boost and a third offensive option for crunch-time situations.
That said, Butler doesn’t fit the need the Raptors have at power forward, unless you are willing to play super small (like microscopic small). Plus, you’d have to pay an extremely high price and absolve yourself of any and all depth, making any further move for a four all but impossible.
Toronto was one of the teams rumoured to be talking about a deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder at draft time for Ibaka. That price would be considerably cheaper now considering he’s on an expiring contract and hasn’t been a great fit in Orlando. Salary matching won’t be hard either as he makes just over $12 million year.
At 27, he fits the Raptors’ need for a rim-protecting big who can play the four or five spot and switch on the perimeter defensively. Not just a defensive upgrade, his ability and willingness to step out and take corner threes the way Luis Scola did in the starting five last year would also be an asset.
Wesley Matthews, Dallas Mavericks
Toronto seemed interested in Matthews before signing DeMarre Carroll to play in a similar role. He’s a great culture guy, provides added floor spacing and is a better option to guard bigger players in small ball lineups than Terrence Ross or even Carroll.
Nerlens Noel, Philadelphia 76ers
Noel has openly campaigned that he wants out and his pathway to minutes in Philadelphia is only going to get worse as the season goes on, not better. Bryan Colangelo has a relationship with Masai Ujiri, so the dialogue would be easy. Also, Colangelo drafted the player Toronto would likely send back, Terrence Ross.
Philadelphia also has by far the worst point-guard depth in the league. Meanwhile, Delon Wright is close to fully healthy, and when he returns Toronto will have four NBA-caliber point guards in their organization. Masai could use his guard capital to get a much-needed big.
Danilo Gallinari, Denver Nuggets
Masai Ujiri has already traded for Gallinari once back when he was GM of the Nuggets, as the Italian was a must-have when he shipped Carmelo Anthony to New York. Gallinari is an expiring contract and the Nuggets are building a young, interesting nucleus whose age profile doesn’t match Gallinari’s.
Although not a defensive upgrade, his positional versatility would give Dwane Casey much-needed roster flexibility that is greatly valued in the playoffs.
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers This is a pie-in-the-sky scenario, but it’s not impossible. Just 40 games into the season, the Clippers are already seven games back in the West from the Warriors. Plus, the team hasn’t missed Griffin much during his various injuries over the last couple seasons.
Could they literally re-sign both Paul and Griffin to max deals in the offseason and assume they’d have any better chance to compete for a championship than they have before? The fourth-place team in the East—Atlanta—realized they’re not competing for a title and sold one of their best players in Kyle Korver. The fourth-place team in the West could do the same.
L.A. will likely lose their first-round pick in 2017 to Toronto (lottery protected) and have already lost their second-round pick to Boston. Toronto could provide some pick capital and young players on cheap contracts, which would kick-start a reload.