Another day, another Raptors trade rumor (idea?) to discuss.
With less than a week before this season's trade deadline, The Athletic's John Hollinger wrote that a certain trade between the Lakers and Raptors is the "latest hot idea making the rounds."
"The latest hot idea making the rounds — and I will emphasize that this idea has been fairly heavily trafficked in theory despite little evidence that it’s been discussed in reality — is the notion of trading Westbrook and the future firsts to Toronto, unprotected, in return for Klutch client Gary Trent Jr. and likely future Klutch client Fred VanVleet.
"Both are likely free agents with player options on their deals, but presumably, the closeness of Klutch and the Lakers would make re-upping more palatable."
It's worth making crystal clear that Hollinger noted there's "little evidence that it's been discussed in reality," but would that type of deal make sense for the Raptors? Let's take a closer look.
MORE: How to make your fake NBA trades suck less
Who says no? Raptors trade Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. to Lakers for Russell Westbrook and picks
The trade: Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr. and Otto Porter Jr. for Russell Westbrook, Austin Reaves and two-first round picks.
Wait, why are Porter and Reaves involved? Westbrook makes more money than VanVleet and Trent Jr. combined, so more players have to be involved to make the trade work financially. Adding Porter and Reaves is one way to get the green light from Spotrac. You could switch them out for, say, Malachi Flynn and Max Christie if you wanted. Focus less on that and more on the VanVleet, Trent Jr., Westbrook and picks part.
Why Raptors say yes: Toronto will be drawn more to the first-round picks than Westbrook, who is past his prime and will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
The only first-rounders the Lakers can currently trade are in 2027 and 2029. While it's impossible to know what they will look like in several years, those picks could be incredibly valuable knowing that LeBron James will be in his early to mid-40s and Anthony Davis will be in his early to mid-30s. It would be different if the Lakers had a clear future plan in place, of course, but the best prospect currently on the roster is probably Rui Hachimura, and he doesn't project to be a star.
If the Lakers are bad at that point, the Raptors would get at least one shot at selecting high in the draft. And if the Raptors are looking to compete at that point, they could package those picks to pursue a star. Look no further than what the Jazz got for Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert to get an idea of why a team might be motivated to stockpile picks.
Why Raptors say no: Yes, those picks could be incredibly valuable, but there's no guarantee that they will.
TSN's Steph Noh detailed the potential value of the picks here. The skinny: Los Angeles is a desirable market and the franchise's books will be cleared at that point. With those picks being so far out, there's a real chance the Lakers will once again be players in free agency and/or good enough to not be in the lottery.
In which case, trading a one-time All-Star in VanVleet and a valuable starter in Trent Jr. for a few months of Westbrook and two mediocre picks wouldn't be a great look. The Raptors might be able to get better players and/or better picks from other teams.
For what it's worth, a fake VanVleet trade I came up with that got the thumbs up from one of my colleagues was him and Otto Porter Jr. to the Mavericks for Tim Hardaway Jr., Dwight Powell, Josh Green and a first-round pick. A Trent Jr. trade that got approved was him and Juancho Hernangomez to the Pelicans for Devonte' Graham, Jaxson Hayes, Kira Lewis Jr. and a first-round pick.
