Before the Kyrie Irving trade became official, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Nets had "explored the feasibility" of packaging Spencer Dinwiddie and draft capital to the Raptors for Fred VanVleet.
That seems less likely now that the trade has gone through, but it's still a possibility.
As The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor pointed out, Dinwiddie could still be traded ahead of the deadline. He just can't be combined with other players. Dinwiddie and VanVleet are making a similar amount of money this season, so a swap gets the green light from Fanspo.
Would that make sense for the Raptors? Let's take a closer look.
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Why Raptors say yes and no: Fred VanVleet trade to Nets for Spencer Dinwiddie, draft pick
The trade: Fred VanVleet for Spencer Dinwiddie and a first-round pick.
Why Raptors say yes: The Raptors are facing the possibility of losing VanVleet for nothing in the offseason.
VanVleet has a $22.8 million player option in his contract for the 2023-24 season, making him a potential unrestricted free agent. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Suns and Magic have already emerged as potential free-agent suitors for VanVleet if he does decide to test the market.
If the Raptors are worried about VanVleet leaving or aren't comfortable paying him as much as he might be looking for, trading him at the deadline would mean they'd get something in return for him.
VanVleet is the better player of the two — he's also a year younger — but Dinwiddie has proven to be a starting-caliber guard. He's been good for 17.7 points and 5.3 assists per game this season on .455/.405/.821 shooting splits. He's been a dominant one-on-one scorer, trailing only nine players in total isolation points scored, and he's been one of the most efficient pick-and-roll scorers in the league.
For a Raptors team struggling to score in the halfcourt, Dinwiddie could help.
Dinwiddie would also add to Toronto's size as a 6-foot-5 guard with a 6-foot-8 wingspan.
Why Raptors say no: As already mentioned, VanVleet is the better player of the two and he's younger. Plus, Dinwiddie only has one more season remaining on his contract, so he'll be an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
Because Dinwiddie can't be traded with other players, the only way the Nets could sweeten the deal is with additional draft picks, but they're limited in how many draft picks they can currently trade.
All in all, it's hard to imagine this being the best return the Raptors could get for VanVleet.
In mid-January, The Toronto Star's Doug Smith wrote that VanVleet will "fetch at least the Anunoby price if not more," which he reported as being "at least two promising players on team-friendly deals and a pick."
