Morning Coffee - Jan. 20, 2025
Will the Raptors be sellers at the deadline?
Will the Toronto Raptors be sellers at the deadline AGAIN? - Raptors HQ
The Bruce Brown Saga
It’s pretty well known that Bruce Brown has been on the Toronto trading block pretty much since the day he landed at Pearson from Indiana. Part of the initial Pascal Siakam trade with the Pacers, Brown’s expiring $23 million contract is hanging over the heads of the front office.
They decided not to trade him for 2024 draft stock. They decided not to trade him during free agency last offseason. So far in the 2024-25 season they haven’t traded him. The clock is winding down on being able to get anything back for Brown, to make the Siakam trade mean anything more than it currently does.
If they don’t trade Brown before the deadline, Stein reports they could think about sign and trade options in the summer. Yet, would Masai and Bobby take that risk? After a few years of some questionable decisions, the response may not be ideal if a risk like that is taken.
Stein doesn’t outline any specific trades the Raptors are workshopping around Brown, but he could attract a decent deal or some good picks.
Chris Boucher on the move?
Another Raptor Stein mentioned was Chris Boucher, also on an expiring contract. Boucher has been in and out of the rotation for the past two seasons, and it’s universally accepted that he is at the end of his Raptors tenure.
The thing with Boucher now is that he has been playing really well over the past few weeks. Per Keerthika Uthayakumar, Boucher had stretch of four games where he had a true shooting percentage of 95.9% — which was 4th highest all time since 1982.
This could make Boucher’s contract very appealing to other teams in the near future.
Other than those two, there don’t seem to be many Raptors players rumoured on the outs. Toronto is apparently looking to get picks back in these trades, so moves are pretty dependant on whether teams have the picks the Raptors are looking for.
With a lottery pick coming their way in 2025, it could be another active draft year for Toronto. Future picks are also a part of the plan. We may not see many actual players return at the deadline, and the Raptors would likely use those open roster spots to cycle through 10-day contracts.
Unlike in 2024, the Raptors probably won’t be extremely active until the deadline is much closer. What are you opinions on the Toronto Raptors’ trade situation?
Raptors sign center Orlando Robinson to 10-day contract - Raptors Republic
Although Robinson’s total NBA experience isn’t much, he’s displayed a lot more of what he can do in the G league, averaging 17 points and 7.8 rebounds in 29.2 minutes while shooting 47.2 percent for the Stockton Kings. The Vegas native is listed at six-foot-10, 235 pounds, which is three inches taller than Omoruyi.
Due to his NBA sample size being too small, his G-league play is where you can get a feel of the type of player he is. He’s somewhere in between Jakob Poeltl and Kelly Olynyk in terms of skillset. He can bang down low, protect the rim, and has shown signs of stretching the floor. Through all three of his G-league seasons, he averaged well over a block per game. Although a little heavy-footed, he is arguably more athletic than both Raptors’ big men. Not to mention his larger wingspan, at seven-foot-four.
The center will add to the team’s frontcourt depth behind Poeltl and Olynyk. He’ll have to use these 10 days to impress the front office into signing him to another deal. Whether it be garbage time or in practice, the small things could go a long way.
How a couple of Raptors veterans handle life in the NBA rumour mill - Toronto Star
“It’s a business, (the talk is) going to happen. I was completely shocked last year when I got traded, so this year it’s whatever.”
Usually, the chatter devolves into nothing other than titillating dispatches in the media, and there’s every reason to think that’ll be the case again.
The theory of turning Brown, Olynyk or even Chris Boucher and his expiring contract into future assets is intriguing, and Toronto’s front office is trying to do that. But trying doesn’t often end in success, another reason why Brown and Olynyk seem wise to ignore the chatter.
Instead, they are figuring out how best they can help the Raptors as veteran, steadying influences off the bench. It’s a work in progress.
“You gotta understand, in Denver (two seasons ago) I was the backup point guard. I had the ball in my hands, making plays with older players on the team,” Brown said.
“Then I get to Indy, still kind of on-ball when Tyrese (Haliburton) was out. I had big 30-point games and the ball in my hands to make plays.
“Then I come here and IQ (Immanuel Quickley) is going to have the ball, Scottie (Barnes) is going to have the ball, RJ (Barrett) is gonna have the ball, we’re gonna run plays for Gradey (Dick).
“Just trying to pick my spots when I can score, when I can’t and, really, just get the ball off misses and try to push in transition. I think I can be a more effective transition scorer.”
It’s the same with Olynyk. He’s not nearly the transition ballhandler that Brown is, but he’s got to be an offensive linchpin for the Raptors because their centres handle the ball at the elbow so much.
“You’re constantly changing, ever changing,” Olynyk said. “You come out, feel out what the game needs from you and what the team needs from you and how the best to help the team. It sometimes is not as fluid as it looks from the outside, but you’ve got to keep working at it.”
Working at it and letting outside chatter die in the ether.
Raptors mailbag: Who should they trade and is the tank in danger? - Toronto Sun
From Dan: After watching the Raps win back-to-back games against Golden State and Boston, I really struggle to see them properly tanking into a bottom 3 record. Given the team’s play when healthy, how many wins do you think they finish the season with, and where would that rank them in the standings?
RW: I wouldn’t worry too much about those strong performances becoming a trend. Yes, Toronto has just switched from facing the toughest schedule in the NBA (on paper) to the weakest the rest of the way, but a number of factors lead me to believe they’ll be in the mix for a Top 4 pick.
They have shown no ability to stay healthy all year. One more significant injury (in addition to Immanuel Quickley’s latest) will decrease their competitiveness significantly — particularly if Scottie Barnes or Jakob Poeltl go down.
The other teams in Toronto’s general range in the standings all have enough talent (other than Washington) to win games here and there the way the Raptors will. Brooklyn is selling off, but is four wins ahead of the Raptors; Charlotte just lost No. 2 player Brandon Miller for weeks, but still isn’t a total disaster; New Orleans finally got Zion Williamson back, Brandon Ingram won’t be far behind and there’s a decent team hidden away there; Even Utah has won three of 10 and surely will improve on its 3-10 home record (one of the worst marks ever for a traditional home power).
My best guess is 14-26 the rest of the way for a 24-58 record. That should be either the fourth or fifth-worst in the NBA, meaning either a 12.5% or 10.5% shot at Cooper Flagg and a 42.1%-48.1% crack at the Top 4.
Raptors 905 bounce back for win over visiting Valley Suns - Raptors Republic
Although the 905 came away victorious, it wasn’t a perfect outing by any means. The game was a stalemate for the entirety of the first half, knotted at 62-62 at the break. Things only shifted in favour of the junior dinos when head coach Drew Jones called a timeout at the 5:26 mark of the third quarter.
While his team led by three following a Walter triple, they had just given up a transition opportunity the other way, and even though the miscue didn’t end up in points for the Suns, it was a sign of something the bench boss didn’t like. He addressed the matter in the huddle with one simple, yet loudly wailed phrase in the direction of his team: “urgency.”
“As a coach, you can feel the tide turn in a game,” said Jones post-game when asked about the moment. “Players don’t always feel it, but it’s my job to have a pulse, and I felt it.
“I just thought that we needed to hear that in that moment … have a level of urgency and don’t allow that human nature, that complacency to kind of kick in.”
His message was heard loud and clear as the 905 went on an 11-0 run after that chat, with the burst giving the squad its first double-digit lead of the ball game before ultimately taking an 89-80 lead into the final frame.