Less than 10 games into the season, the Raptors already have a roster question hanging over them: are they built to hang with the East’s best, or not? After Toronto’s back-to-back matchups with the two Los Angeles teams, that concern is hard to shake. One way to answer it, at least on paper, is to dig into the trade machine.
A deal with Dallas stands out. The idea would send RJ Barrett to the Mavericks in exchange for Daniel Gafford and Max Christie, giving Toronto two rotation pieces in areas where the roster could use help.
The clearest appeal is Gafford. With Jakob Poeltl off to an awful start, Toronto’s need for center help is obvious, and Gafford has been in trade rumors since the Luka Doncic trade.
Those rumors have continued even after the Mavericks’ front-office turnover this offseason. He checks a lot of boxes for the Raptors: a shot-blocking veteran who can anchor the middle and run the pick-and-roll on offense.
What makes him especially attractive is how much he gives Dallas without needing many touches. Gafford has the lowest usage rate among players in Dusty May’s every-game rotation, yet he’s still putting up 10.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 75 percent from the field. That kind of efficiency would let Scottie Barnes and Kawhi Leonard handle more of the offense while still patching a major hole in the frontcourt.
His screening would also open up cleaner three-point looks for Toronto, both on the ball and away from it. The contract is real money - three years and $54.4 million - but the fit is easier to stomach when you consider he’d likely be part of a three-man center rotation with Jakob Poeltl and Collin Murray-Boyles.
Christie adds another layer. He’s had a rough start, shooting 27 percent from three this season, and he also left a Dallas game against Sacramento with a hip injury. Still, there’s a reason he’s appealing: at 23, he owns a career 38.2 percent mark from deep and has long been viewed as a steady defender and off-ball scorer.
From Dallas’ side, the logic is straightforward too. Dereck Lively II is headed for restricted free agency this summer, and with him, Morez Johnson Jr. and Santi Aldama, the Mavericks already have three solid frontcourt options. Barrett would give them a reliable third scoring option and creator alongside Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, while also helping preserve future cap flexibility since he’s on an expiring deal.
There’s also the simple fact that Masai Ujiri has already shown how much he likes Barrett, having sent OG Anunoby out for him and Quickley without a single first-round pick coming back.
This isn’t being sold as a perfect trade, and it’s not meant to be another excuse to push Barrett out the door. But as a player-for-player idea, Gafford and Christie for Barrett has enough basketball logic to at least be worth a serious look if Bobby Webster wants to explore it.
In Other News...
Chris Bouchers Next Move Just Gave Raptors Fans A New Update
Chris Boucher has found his next stop overseas, signing with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association and stepping into the roster spot previously held by JaVale McGee. For Raptors fans, it is another reminder of how far Bouchers path has traveled since his time in Toronto, where he became one of the more recognizable development success stories to come through the organization.
The Sharks are off to a strong start this season and already have some familiar NBA names around Boucher, including DAngelo Russell and Brandon Goodwin. After stints with the Raptors and Celtics, Boucher now joins a team with real momentum and a roster built to compete, leaving Toronto supporters with one more former Raptor to follow as his career takes another turn. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Finally Got The Kawhi Update They Desperately Needed
Kawhi Leonard is finally moving in the right direction, and for a Raptors team trying to steady itself on a road trip, that matters. Toronto announced that Leonard has successfully completed treatment for left knee swelling and will begin the return-to-play process, a sign that the long wait for a meaningful update is over even if the finish line is still a little ways off.
The next checkpoint comes in a week, and in the meantime the Raptors will likely have to keep getting by without him through several upcoming games. There is at least a chance Leonard could be available for the Nov. 11 game, but for now the bigger takeaway is simply that Toronto has a clearer path than it did a day ago, and a much better sense of when this situation might start to open up. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Could Lose A Key Assistant To A Job He Nearly Landed
Jama Mahlalela has long been one of the more respected voices on the Raptors bench, and his name is suddenly back in the mix for a prominent womens basketball job. He was a finalist for the New York Liberty head coaching position last year before the team went with Chris DeMarco, and now that DeMarco reportedly is not returning for the 2027 season, the door may be open again.
For Toronto, it is the kind of development worth watching closely. Mahlalela brings coaching experience from both the Raptors and the Golden State Warriors, and another run at the Liberty job would put him in the same conversation he was nearly part of a year ago. The Raptors have benefited from his presence, but they may have to brace for the possibility that he gets another serious look elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]