Toronto Raptors
Wishlist: A Stretch Four
The Raptors are the closest threat to the Cavs in the Eastern Conference. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are their tag team scorers, while DeMarre Carroll is their designated LeBron “stopper”. Jonas Valanciunas is a steady 12 and 10 guy who gives pretty good rim protection to their defense. They have good depth with Cory Joseph and Terrence Ross coming off the bench and being productive.
One thing that stood out in their series against the Cavs last year in the playoffs was their PF position. They signed Jarred Sulinger this offseason but it wasn’t too long before he came down with another injury, causing him to miss all of this season so far. The Raptors are starting Pascal Siakam, a rookie out of New Mexico State playing 19 minutes a game.
Patrick Patterson comes off the bench and has been effective in his 29 minutes per game. But neither of these guys are the answer if they want to take the next step and take down the Cavs.
We’re giving the Toronto Raptors Serge Ibaka for Christmas!
Orlando already has seven too many post players, and since they gave up their 1st round pick to get Ibaka (11th overall Domantas Sabonis), this trade will give them one right back. Serge is a perfect fit in Toronto with his huge wingspan. He has the ability to rim protect, rebound every ball in a mile radius, and step out and switch pick and rolls on the perimeter. Offensively, he is an upgrade from Patterson shooting the mid range baseline jumper and corner threes.