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[The Ringer] Why the Raptors Should Go All In for Damian Lillard
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this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2023
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Dame doesn’t put us anywhere near competing. Doesn’t make sense, timelines don’t match up.
What timeline do the Raptors currently have? I don't see any way for them to get near contention without doing at least two major trades. And Lillard could be the first of the trades. Right now they are too good to tank but also more than just one realistic trade from contention away.
Having Lillard sets them up for a much better situation. Yes, the last two years on Lillard's contract aren't ideal. Paying 60 million for a 35, 36-year-old Lillard might be hard to swallow if he falls off. But I would argue hoping to pair a second star with Lillard in the next 1-2 seasons to become a contender is more realistic than hoping for Barnes turning into a superstar that can lead the Raptors to another ring.
It's not a no-brainer or steal for the Raptors but it also isn't messing up their near future. Because again, they have no timeline to mess up.
My ideal timeline would be a full tear down and rebuild with Scottie being at the center of that. Trading for Dame eliminates that direction.
I don’t believe we are good enough with Dame to contend and a second move would require sending Siakam/OG which based on current belief are rated to high by the raptors hurting their return or are not valued high enough by teams around the league. Both which hurt the team and don’t really add enough positive value in versus value going out.
But I agree, currently there is no one timeline but two which is messing everything up.
A complete rebuild would be an alternative. But it's a bit dangerous to start this season since the pick is only Top 6 protected. So the Raptors might tank for nothing, if they end up with the 7th-9th pick.
I personally think it's a waste to tear everything down. Yes, losing FVV was a big hit but there is still a decent core. Siakam and OG are still in their prime. There are still plenty of draft picks available after the Lillard trade to upgrade the team further without having to give up too much. And there is always the possibility of trading Lillard for picks if it doesn't work out after 2 seasons. I don't think Lillard will lose much trade value by then.