The Toronto Raptors are only six games into the season, but the early cracks are already easy to spot. At 3-3, they’ve managed to hang around the top half of a crowded Eastern Conference, yet the offense still has one glaring problem that won’t go away: the three-point shooting just isn’t good enough.
Toronto is scoring at a strong clip, sitting ninth in the league at 118.3 points per game. The issue is what happens when the ball goes up from deep.
The Raptors are shooting 32 percent from three, which ranks seventh-worst in the NBA. With Kawhi Leonard sidelined by a knee injury for the next 3-4 weeks, the pressure to keep the offense steady only gets heavier.
That’s why CBS Sports NBA writer Sam Quinn’s idea of Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro as a trade target stands out. Herro checks a lot of the boxes Toronto is missing, and he does it in a way that feels cleaner than the current backcourt mix.
Immanuel Quickley brings shooting, hitting 37.4 percent for his career, but his game can swing wildly from night to night. There are also real questions about how his size and defensive profile will hold up when the playoffs get physical. That inconsistency, along with his limitations on the other end, is part of why the New York Knicks moved on from him in the first place.
RJ Barrett creates a different kind of problem. He’s been a steady 18-to-20-point scorer for most of his career and offers more upside defensively at 6-foot-6, but the shot from outside has never been reliable. He’s at 29 percent from three this season, and because he needs the ball to be at his best, his strengths can clash with a roster that already has Leonard, Scottie Barnes and Quickley handling plenty of creation.
Herro sits somewhere in the middle, and that’s what makes him appealing. He has scored 20 or more points in each of the last six seasons and is averaging 22 points through six games with the Bucks.
At 6-foot-5, he has the size to project as a better defender than Quickley, and his career 38.3 percent mark from three on a little more than seven attempts per game gives Toronto the spacing it badly needs. Just as important, his time with the Miami Heat showed he can thrive both on the ball and away from it.
The contract situation adds another layer. Herro is making $33 million as an expiring deal, while Barrett is at $29.6 million and also expiring. That opens the door for a one-for-one framework, with a pick attached to Barrett to make the Bucks more willing to part with the better player.
Milwaukee’s roster makeup could make that conversation worthwhile. The Bucks already have a crowded guard group, with rookie Brayden Burries, Ryan Rollins and Kasparas Jakucionis forming a promising backcourt rotation. Moving Herro would bring back value while also clearing room for younger players to get minutes.
There’s also a bigger picture on the wing. Kyle Kuzma is on an expiring contract, and Jaime Jacquez Jr. is set to hit restricted free agency next summer.
That leaves the forward rotation a little thin, with only Ousmane Dieng and rookie Nate Ament available to fill those spots. Barrett could fit there as a player who can slide to the three, and he could even become a re-sign candidate if Milwaukee gets outbid for Jacquez Jr.
Of course, the Bucks may simply decide Herro is too important to move, especially with him already being their best player this season and the “hometown kid” angle working in his favor. But his pending free agency could also limit Milwaukee’s options if better offers never materialize.
For Toronto, the appeal is obvious. A trio of Herro, Barnes and Leonard, with Ja’Kobe Walter, Collin Murray-Boyles and Jakob Poeltl behind them, would give the Raptors a strong six-man core for an eight-man playoff rotation.
The fit looks close to ideal. The only question is whether Toronto is willing to give up a draft pick to make it happen.
In Other News...
Raptors Loss Exposed A Problem They Couldnt Afford Against The Lakers
Jakob Poeltl being ruled out with bursitis left Toronto scrambling for size at Crypto.com Arena, and the gap showed in a 131-125 loss to the Lakers. The Raptors still managed to make life uncomfortable for Los Angeles in stretches, forcing 22 turnovers and creating enough extra chances to stay within striking distance.
Luka Doncics 45-point night was the kind of star power Toronto could not fully absorb without its starting center, especially when the Raptors were already trying to play from a disadvantage on the glass and around the rim. The effort was there, but against a Lakers team with that much shot-making, Torontos inability to turn those turnovers into a winning edge loomed large. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors May Not Be Done After Kawhi Move
The Raptors long-awaited Kawhi Leonard deal is finally official, but the move arrives with a little less immediate payoff than Toronto had hoped. The trade from the Clippers had been held up by an NBA investigation into possible salary cap circumvention, and now the focus shifts to what Leonard can actually give the team once hes healthy enough to play.
Leonard is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a knee injury, which only adds to the sense that Toronto may still be working the phones. There is already speculation that the Raptors could look to add Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro in another trade, though nothing has been confirmed, and the possibility alone suggests this front office may not be done reshaping the roster just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Suddenly Have A Frontcourt Opportunity They Cant Ignore
Domantas Sabonis has suddenly become one of the more intriguing names to watch around the league after ESPNs Tim MacMahon reported the Kings big man wants out following Sacramentos rough start. For teams like the Raptors, that kind of development immediately changes the conversation, because a player of Sabonis caliber does not come available often and any hint of movement at the top of the market tends to ripple quickly through the rest of the league.
Toronto already has reason to pay attention to the frontcourt market, and Sabonis would sit near the center of any serious discussion about upgrades. The fit questions are obvious, as are the salary complications and the roster decisions that would come with even exploring a deal, but the larger point is simple: if Sacramento really opens the door, the Raptors would be irresponsible not to at least look through it. [Read more 🡒]