Jalen McDaniels was supposed to be a nice signing on the wing for the Raptors last year. He never was able to find a groove in Toronto, and so the team shipped him out on Thursday in exchange for Sacramento bench players Davion Mitchell and Sasha Vezenkov.
Mitchell and Vezenkov both saw their role on the Kings declining, making them expendable. The Kings also balanced their books in making the trade.
This is a great opportunity for the Raptors to get an almost free look at two veterans who could become good rotation pieces for them. Here's what Toronto is getting in both guys.
MORE: Toronto lands Davion Mitchell from Sacramento in exchange for Jalen McDaniels
Davion Mitchell scouting report
Mitchell had a good rookie year for the Kings after being taken with the 9th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. His point-of-attack defense immediately translated to the floor. Despite his mediocre 6-foot size, he can put a ton of pressure on guards. He is one of the best defensive bulldogs at the guard position.
That skill became less useful for the Kings with the emergence of Keon Ellis, who does similar things but is a more reliable shooter. It became totally redundant after the Kings took a similar player in Devin Carter with the 13th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
This is a great buy-low opportunity on Mitchell. He hit just 32.7 percent of his 3s in Sacramento but was at a better 36.1 percent this past season. He was terrific from the corners, canning 46 percent of those looks.
Mitchell is also a great finisher at the rim despite his small stature. He connected on 75 percent of those looks, ranking in the 94th percentile of guards. For comparison's sake, that is the same rate as 7-footer Jakob Poeltl.
Mitchell should pair well with Immanuel Quickley, allowing Quickley to capitalize on his great help defense and letting Mitchell take the tougher on-ball assignments.
MORE: Bruce Brown Jr. has strong reaction to trade rumors from Raptors fans
Davion Mitchell 2023-24 season stats
| Stat | Average |
| Minutes | 15.3 |
| Points | 5.3 |
| Rebounds | 1.3 |
| Assists | 1.9 |
| Field goal percentage | 45.2 |
| 3-point percentage | 36.1 |
Sasha Vezenkov scouting report
Vezenkov was technically a rookie last season, but he had played overseas successfully for many years, even earning Euroleague MVP honors in 2023.
The 28-year-old power forward was taken with the 57th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft in the hopes of carving out a role in the NBA but only managed to play 511 minutes last season.
Vezenkov projected as a shooting big man. He hit 37.5 percent of his 3s last season for the Kings, showing off a smooth lefty stroke. The inside joke was that he never needed to dribble the ball in order to score.
Sasha Vezenkov really just does this without dribbling. pic.twitter.com/WsPifHOcXu
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) November 18, 2023
He's a good movement shooter, which is a badly needed skill on this Toronto roster. He doesn't need plays run for him, finding openings within the flow of an offense thanks to his high feel.
Vezenkov probably won't be a star, but he can be a very high-level role player as a deadly scorer off the ball in a poor man's Klay Thompson type of role. He's extremely crafty with cutting and finding pockets to catch the ball.
Vezenkov was reportedly not happy with his role on the Kings. Eurohoops had reported that he had requested a trade, and he found a landing spot that makes more sense for him in Toronto.
Sasha Vezenkov 2023-24 season stats
| Stat | Average |
| Minutes | 12.2 |
| Points | 5.4 |
| Rebounds | 2.3 |
| Assists | 0.5 |
| Field goal percentage | 44.0 |
| 3-point percentage | 37.5 |
