Toronto Raptors Dame trade ideas and rumors

Why should the Blazers wait a couple years to improve the roster, when the time to do that could be now if Dame is traded?
There are many ways a trade could go, but one of them that should be considered is getting a player around 25-26 or younger who could help the team win immediately.
I'm not saying it's the only route, but if the right player is available for the right price, go for it.

 

Why should the Blazers have waited till now to improve the roster when the time could be when Dame was still committed to winning in Portland? The Blazers could’ve just traded Ant + #3 (or Ant + #7 + extra, the summer prior) for OG if the FO really believe he’s that good that we shouldn’t even consider trading him when we get him.

I don’t even agree with what I wrote up top, I’m just using it to prove a point. I, for one, knew that the Dame era rosters were not going to compete. We just happened to hit the f’ing lottery being able to land our future starting backcourt BEFORE our star is gone, BECAUSE he was willing to tank.

The FO showed Dame the signs that we were looking to tank to get lottery talents when he was here. If we trade Dame for OG and Ayton and Cronin comes out saying “OG and Ayton give us the pieces to really compete this year”…man. If I was Dame, I would be so incredibly furious that the FO is essentially saying “we don’t think OG or Ayton on a team with you is going to really going to help compete, but we’re so confident in a rookie we’re giving him the pieces we never gave you so he can compete right away”.

 

The more I see the furious back and forth debates, I realized something:

I’ll be the first to say, I was all for tanking for those picks, and obviously it paid off. ALOT of people, like me, were for it. Many of us were against bringing in OG or Ayton because we wouldn’t truly compete. Now, suddenly some of those same people think a rookie will doing something with those pieces. It’s crazy, this one singular Keep OG vs Trade OG shows how little faith Blazers fans had in Dame. That so many Blazers fans are putting faith into a rookie who has yet to play a game, over a dude who has willed our team to countless wins.

I actually grow more and more sympathy for Dame as this thread gets longer. If you were for tanking when Dame was here, you should be for tanking initially when Dame is gone (that’s usually how tanking works, y’know?). If you were for trading the pick that could’ve been Scoot or Sharpe, then I can understand you wanting to put the best roster together at all times. Otherwise, you are just more confident in Scoot than you ever were with Dame.

If you were for pro-tanking for the last two years of Dame’s stint, you want OG back in a trade because we can actually compete, AND you’ve had something to say about Dame’s behavior since the trade…kick rocks man. I actually get what Dame’s going through right now.

 

Let’s look at a team that’s actually doing tanking right, OKC. I’m going to throw out a hypothetical: let’s say the PG trade happens as it did, but instead of CP3 that came back for Russ, it was OG as he is right now (26, one year left).

Can someone realistically make a sound argument OKC would’ve decided to keep OG to pair with a second year SGA? SGA wasn’t as hyped as Scoot, but he still came from guard-factory Kentucky, and OKC had him pinpointed as the guy they wanted if they had to lose PG. They would’ve traded OG and stockpiled those picks.

Before anyone says “BuT tHeY tRaDeD fOr Cp3 To HeLp SgA wIn NoW”, I’ll remind everyone right away that CP3 was an immoveable contract at that point due to salary and injuries, OKC traded for him for those picks. Surprisingly, CP3 showed everyone what he could do with a young squad, and only then was he worth something again for OKC to trade and turn into MORE picks. Then they started the tank.

Let’s now be overconfident in Scoot and Shae’s ability to the point where we think we’re smarter than OKC. OKC has been doing it right, and they still haven’t made the playoffs. If we don’t realistically think that a Scoot/Shae/OG/___/Ayton starting 5 can beat OKC in 2 years, good lord DO NOT keep OG.

 

Dame could play in some podunk town like Portland and still have amazing marketing opportunities. He’ll make millions more in Miami

 

I won’t run from the grind

I’m loyal

Teaming up with players for a super team is not my thing

I want to finish my career in Portland

-also Dame

 

What some fans would suggest is WITH Dame, we haven't been really competing for perhaps his entire career. Maybe at the very beginning when Aldridge was the star, but it wasn't a team built around Dame and a massive contract....Dame was on a rookie scale deal back then.

Portland won't get anyone as good as Dame offensively, but if out of it, you can get bigger AND be better defensively, we will probably be as good in the next for years as we were in the last 4.

 

Because they’re different windows and different goals. Dame is 33. He himself has said he thinks he maybe has 3-4 years of high level play left. Trading our young guys like Scoot or Shae for OG would have been stupid. We needed players who could take us to legit contender status because of such a short window, and a lineup of Dame/Simons/OG/Grant/Ayton is probably not a contender. It’s a nice team, but probably not enough firepower to win it all. Mortgaging our future for that would have been stupid.

Scoot and Shae are 19 and 20. They have a massive window. Putting a guy who is 25 and 26 with them still fits their window. If it takes three years for them to hit their stride, OG will be 29 and Ayton will be 28. So they will be in their prime. We could make a run in that time if everyone is living up to their potential.

 

I really believe that having vets like Ayton and OG will be incredible with Scoot and Sharpe. Yes, OG and Ayton want to have bigger roles offensively, but we are probably only talking about five points per game or so each. I doubt they are looking to put up 30 each. I would love to get 18-22 per game from those two. Even more from the hot hand day to day. I would love 15/8 from Scoot. I would love 18/5/5 from Sharpe. On the high side, that is only 77 points from the four. Throw in Grant getting 20 and they are at 97. Maybe someone gets more, someone else less. The balance looks good to me. I would like Ant off the bench and eventually moved. I do not see offense on the bench other than whichever guard does not start with this makeup. Sure, someone might put up 10 in a game here and there, but the bench is not deep. Lots of G-leaguers there outside of Nas, Keon, Knox, Thybulle none are NBA players. Throw in a couple rooks.

 

I want to point out that Portland can do the Ayton deal separately from a Dame deal. Just Nurk/Nas for Ayton. It's been reported here that Lillard never wanted to play with Ayton. Nurk was his preferred center. All reporting here is that if Dame is traded THEN Portland would be interested in Ayton.

Which then just transitions to OG. I am often dumbfounded in the mental gymnastics that GM's throw out passing on one deal and accepting another. When Portland was offering up Ant/7, then Ant/3 there were reportedly little interest. We do not know. We are just fans. We heard Toronto wanted a huge price for OG prior. Now he is a season away from walking for nothing. Situations change. Being prepared to pounce when the opportunity presents itself is important. Dame asked out, situations are changing. I just think it is important to be able to do what Miami does, rebuild on the fly. I like what is being speculated, but it is only because of Dame asking out. We can Have Dame and Ayton, but he doesn't want it. We can't get OG without a massive overpay to pair with Dame. Everything is situational.

 

GS’s turning point was was when they brought in 28 year old veteran Andrew Bogut.

 

I suspect they did not have the assets they wanted to move (The Blazers never wanted to move Dame). This is a very different situation. They now "have" to move Dame sooner or later, so why not go and try to build for a winner when they "have" the assets.

 

Also- Dame had vets when he was a rookie and he hit a series winning shot in his second year. We don’t have to wait 4 years. Wade led Heat to title in his 3rd year surrounded by vets.

 

They drafted Harrison Barnes in the previous off season. Also by acquiring Bogut they added by subtraction because they no longer had the Steph/Monta back court that made absolutely no sense. They only took two and a half seasons to figure out that two small guards don't work in a back court together. I wonder how long it will take them this season.

 

if Portland doesn't trade Ant this season, it will be their 9th consecutive season on not learning that lesson

 

I like the basics of a Blazer/Toronto/Phoenix trade. It could go a couple of different ways depending on the end goals of each team.

I don't play with the online trade tools very much, but here's an example of one that works if -
1. The Blazers want young talent for Lillard.
2. The Blazers want to upgrade their center.
3. Toronto wants Lillard.
4. Toronto wants to keep their core top 3 players (Siakam, Anunoby, Poeltl) to be able to contend now.
5. Phoenix wants to cut costs and gather assets.



Blazers currently have 9 players on the roster that are 23 years old or less. That's 60% of their roster. I think the team needs some balance. The above trade brings in Barnes and Dick. Two young prospects that were lottery picks. It also upgrades the Blazers center position while going 4 years younger. Boucher and Young are mostly salary filler to make the money work.

Toronto gets Lillard.

Phoenix gets Nurk and saves Phoenix $4.9M in salary.

I tossed in some picks. Every team that looks at a trade like this says their team should be the one getting more picks. I'm not too worried about that. Negotiate the picks with the other team as needed to get the deal done.

I like a trade like this better than anything Miami could offer.