I feel like I got sucked into a tornado this past week. Between the two part draft, and the options and extensions, and trades, the Raptors front office WENT TO WORK.
I don’t got time to thoroughly break down every single move, so here’s my quick thoughts on each one.
Scottie Barnes inks five year extension worth $225 or $270 million.
That is A LOT of money, and depending on if he becomes super max eligible, he could get the higher end of that title.
I’m not saying that it wasn’t a smart move, or it was an overpay in comparison to the contracts around the league. Izt’s just that these contracts continue to get bigger and bigger.
I’ve heard people say that the players get paid too much, and they shouldn’t be making this much money.
My ultimate stance is that if the league is going to make this much money from the fans, the players are the ones who deserve to get as much of it as they can.
Bill Simmons hated the extension, but shoutout Simmons for not knowing fully what goes on outside the Celtics once again.
The Raptors had to keep him around. He’s only 22, won rookie of the year and has already made an all-star team.
He will be around until 2030, which is mind blowing to think about.
Raptors draft Ja’Kobe Walter with the 19th pick.
So apparently his name is meant to be a cross between Jordan and Kobe, so that would be great if he could play like that.
I don’t mean to put pressure on the guy, but he is one of our few chances to recoup anything from the Pascal Siakam trade.
I like his game though. We needed a strong defensive wing. He’s obviously a little small to guard some of the big wings, standing at only 6’4″.
He can score the you know what out of the ball from all three levels, even though his shot was a little off his lone year at Baylor.
I’m always blown away by front offices in professional sports. The Raptors apparently didn’t have him in for a workout, but have been scouting him since high school. It makes sense, but it’s crazy to think NBA teams are scouting high school players just a little. Unless that’s only me.
Raptors draft Jonathan Mogbo with the 31st pick.
The last time the Raptors had the first pick on draft night, they selected Andrea Bargnani.
Now, they drafted Scottie Barnes’ best friend.
Did it have something to do with the reason why they drafted him? Maybe.
But Mogbo looks like a cross between Draymond Green and Precious Achiuwa.
Don’t get ahead of yourself. If he ends up as good as Draymond Green, that would be a blessing. I’m not saying he can or he can’t. I’m just saying that he isn’t currently a multi-time NBA all star and one of the best defensive players in league history.
His athleticism and lob finishing ability, and the way he runs the court reminds me of Achiuwa. His playmaking and ability/versatility to play small ball 5 and run the break reminds me of Draymond.
Do with that what you please.
Raptors trade Jalen McDaniels for Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, pick 45 in 2024, and the Trail Blazers second rounder in 2025.
I’m not going to take this opportunity to bash McDaniels as everyone wants to do. I will say though, I can’t believe the Raptors front office pulled this off. This video funny af though.
https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1806425693699399947/video/1
Yes, I know they didn’t get a return of world beaters, and the Kings got under the tax in the deal, but I really like this trade for the Raptors a lot.
Davion is a DOG. (My dad initially tought we traded for Donovan Mitchell and was disappointed when I broke the truth).
The Raptors desperately needed to fill the backup point guard spot, and they decided to try to with a guy with great pedigree in college, only 25 years old and crazy defensive upside.
Vezenkov I think could potentially be a backup four off the bench, who can shoot the ball really well. Pick 45 we’ll talk about in a second and Portland’s 2025 second rounder was the real kicker. I still have no idea how the Raptors got this much out of the deal.
Toronto could be kicking off day 2 of the draft in the NBA TV Canada studio two years running.
Raptors draft Jamal Shead with the 45th pick.
Similar to Davion, giving a backup point guard shot to a guy with great college pedigree and an absolute menace defensively.
I do think a Houston team with a healthy Shead is the only team who could have even challenged UCONN.
I love this pick, and I know NBA teams don’t have super hard practices everyday, but those two are going to work Quickley and it will help his game tremendously.
Raptors extend Immanuel Quickley for 5 years, $175 million.
Am I surprised by the number? No. It’s the going rate for a player with all star upside.
(Who snuck that last sentence in here?)
You knew the Raptors were bringing him back after trading OG Anunoby for him last year. I love Quickley, and I’m hoping the BBQ lineup can do some damage for years to come.
Raptors pick up Bruce Brown team option for $23 million.
Here’s where I stand.
I assume they trade him because it’s the smartest thing for them to do in their current state of a rebuild, and because I think Bruce Brown has potentially some solid trade value.
I really don’t understand the hate for him. I know the drop off was vast from his performance with the Nets and Nuggets and even the Pacers, but let’s be real… That was way more a Raptors team issue than a Brown issue. I SAID IT.
It weirdly seems like he wants to stay? Unless he’s just putting on a front for social media.
Either way, I have to imagine a trade is coming, and that is likely smarter than letting him walk in free agency.
Especially since he was maybe the key fricken piece in the Siakam trade.
LET’S HAVE SOME FREE AGENCY FUN TODAY LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
