NBA: 5 unlikely trades that should happen before the deadline

Exploring five, albeit unlikely, trades that should happen before the 2020 NBA Trade deadline. Even though many of these trades may never come to fruition, they make a ton of sense in the grand scheme of the league

The NBA Trade Deadline may still be a few months away, but here are five (unlikely) trades that we want to see in the coming weeks.

1. Toronto goes all in (again)

At first glance this trade may seem crazy and highly unlikely, however, I think it makes a lot of sense for both teams.

For the Toronto Raptors, this makes them an instant contender. Bringing back DeMar DeRozan is not only nostalgic for Raptors fans, but it makes a lot of sense on the court. The Raptors lack a starting shooting guard (currently starting Fred VanVleet there) and this would fill that role, while also sending VanVleet back to the bench where he is more effective anyway.

Not only does this fill the starting shooting guard spot for the Raptors but it also gives them the third start that they need to push them over the edge, as well as a guy who can get you buckets in the late seconds of a game. In my opinion, based on how Pascal Siakam has stepped up this season, the only thing the Raptors lack from last season’s team is a guy who can get you a bucket when it counts, and DeMar can fill that role.

The Raptors’ eight-man rotation, if this trade were to take place, would look like this: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka in the starting lineup with Fred Van Vleet, Norman Powell and Chris Boucher coming off the bench. This looks like a legitimate contending rotation to me.

From the Spurs’ perspective, this also makes a lot of sense. First of all, the Spurs stay relevant. I don’t think this would take them out of the playoff race but it also doesn’t vault them into contention, they just stay decent.

This trade would also open up the spurs guard rotation giving more minutes to Dejounte Murray and Derrick White who are likely the future of their franchise. They also don’t have to worry too now about extending DeMar DeRozan this summer and they would likely let Gasol walk at the end of this season, but at least they would get a 2nd round pick out of the deal.

By letting Gasol walk this summer it would open up cap space for the spurs in the future to potentially pair Murray and White with a young star that complements their skill sets.

In terms of this season for the Spurs, I think Gasol would be a great fit in their system and a great center to go alongside LaMarcus Aldridge. The Spurs’ eight-man rotation, if this trade were to take place would look like this: Dejounte Murray, Bryn Forbes, Rudy Gay, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marc Gasol in the starting line up and Derrick White, Patty Mills and Trey Lyles of the bench. That’s a pretty solid playoff team, with a young core to build around.