The Toronto Raptors are entering the season with real buzz around them, and the noise has only grown louder as they adjust to a stronger Eastern Conference. After the moves they made this offseason, there’s plenty of excitement in Toronto - and still room for another swing if they want to push themselves closer to the top tier.
One name that keeps surfacing is Domantas Sabonis. NBA reporter Evan Sidery floated a deal that would send RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl, along with draft capital, to Sacramento in exchange for Sabonis.
“Sacramento: RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, draft capital. Toronto: Sabonis,” Sidery wrote.
That kind of move would reshape the Raptors’ frontcourt in a big way. Sabonis is one of the league’s best rebounders, and his arrival would give Toronto another All-Star-level presence. Losing Barrett would hurt - he’s a fan favorite - but the payoff would be a major upgrade in the frontcourt.
Sabonis is also on the trade market after changing agents, a detail that has only fueled the speculation. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst pointed to that move as something worth watching.
“I do think it’s somewhat interesting that he changed agents this offseason," ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said." He hired Aaron Mintz from CAA.
This last year, Mintz and his group executed the trade for Trae Young away from Atlanta. They executed the trade for Walker Kessler away from [the Jazz ].
Domantas Sabonis just hired him. At the risk of parodying myself, why would he do that?”
Toronto’s situation already has another major piece in motion, too. The Raptors made a summer trade for Kawhi Leonard, though the deal was put on hold. Even so, it remains expected to go through, and Leonard has already been around his soon-to-be teammates.
“Per league sources, the Raptors, Leonard’s camp and the camps of other prominent players in the trade remain very confident it will go through soon. Leonard, it should be noted, is known to be with his Raptors teammates (in an unofficial capacity) on a retreat of sorts in Miami this week,” The Athletic’s Sam Amick wrote.
If Toronto ends up with Leonard and then finds a way to add Sabonis as well, the roster would look a lot more dangerous. Leonard would boost the defense, and Sabonis would bring size, rebounding and another high-level scoring option. Together, they’d give the Raptors the kind of frontcourt and two-way versatility that can matter in a crowded East.
Sabonis has made $272M in his career thus far, and a deal of that size would not come cheap for Toronto. Still, if the Raptors are serious about competing with the best teams in the conference, this is the kind of move that could move the needle.
In Other News...
Raptors Suddenly Face A Guard Depth Concern They Couldnt Afford
The Raptors had been keeping an eye on Walter Clayton Jr. as a possible way to firm up a backcourt that looked thin when the playoffs exposed how few reliable ball handlers they had. With Jamal Shead and Immanuel Quickley still set to carry most of the load, Torontos interest made sense as the kind of depth move that can quietly matter over a long season, especially when the players behind the top guards are still learning on the fly.
Now, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein, Clayton is likely to stick with Memphis after roster cuts, which takes one option off Torontos board for the moment. It leaves the Raptors still searching for guard insurance and a steadier answer behind their top two, a concern they could not really afford to let linger as they try to avoid being short-handed again when the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Letting Kawhi Tension Spill Into A Trade Standoff
The Clippers punishment in the NBA cap circumvention case tied to Kawhi Leonard has already reshaped the conversation around the league, and Toronto is still waiting for the dust to settle on the other side of the deal. Los Angeles lost five first-round picks and $30 million, while Leonard was fined $700,000 but avoided the sort of major discipline that might have altered the bigger picture for the Raptors and everyone else watching the transaction.
For Toronto, the trade has remained in limbo since the early part of the summer, even as the club has continued to believe it will eventually be completed as originally agreed. The Clippers say the delay stems from front office suspensions, but around the league there is a growing sense that the holdup has as much to do with the emotions surrounding the case as it does with procedure, leaving the Raptors to wait on a resolution they still expect to arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Gradey Dick Suddenly Faces A Real Clippers Roster Threat
The Kawhi Leonard trade has only just settled in, but it has already started to reshape the Clippers bench picture, and that matters for Toronto because Gradey Dick has suddenly been pulled into the conversation. Reports indicate Brandon Ingram is expected to stay put for now, while Dicks spot is less certain as Los Angeles sorts through the ripple effects of the deal and evaluates how to trim and rework the roster before camp hardens into the real season.
For the Raptors, the intrigue is not just whether Dick sticks with the Clippers, but what kind of movable piece he has become in that environment. His expiring contract gives Los Angeles a degree of flexibility, and the team could decide it is more useful in a future deal than as a locked-in part of the opening-night group. No final calls have been made yet, but the fact that his name is even in the mix shows how quickly one blockbuster can turn a young player's situation into a test of roster math. [Read more 🡒]