NBA Trade Rumors: According to a recent report, OG Anunoby is considered a primary offseason target for the Toronto Raptors.
The Toronto Raptors were a pleasant surprise this past season. Entering the season, there weren’t many expectations placed on the Raptors who many assumed they’d be in a rebuilding period. However, almost the opposite happened.
Instead of being a lottery team, the Raptors finished as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and were perhaps an injury away from upsetting the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. Despite the first-round upset, the future is bright for the Raptors.
However, the emergence of Scottie Barnes could further complicate things for OG Anunoby who recently signed an extension with the team. A recent report suggests that there will be plenty of teams interested in him (even if the Raptors simply poke around his trade value) and one of the teams that would be extremely interested is the Portland Trail Blazers.
"[via Bleacher Report]The Trail Blazers remain widely expected to pursue trade scenarios with the No. 7 pick in order to add a complementary veteran alongside All-NBA guard Damian Lillard, and Anunoby is believed to be one of their primary targets along with Jerami Grant."
The expectation is that the Blazers are going to be busy this offseason in trying to surround Damian Lillard with a strong supporting cast. That could be difficult for the team to do in one offseason, but they’re going to try.
And Anunoby would be an excellent addition if the Blazers could make it happen. He’s on a manageable contract and is still improving as a player. He’s an ideal 3-and-D piece and could also be so much more on the offensive end.
Of course, the biggest question is whether the Raptors would even shop him this offseason. It’s not a foregone conclusion and Toronto would likely be asking for a boatload in return. But if the Blazers are actually able to pull it off, it would be a huge first step to the offseason.