The Raptors are finding themselves in all kinds of trade rumors and speculations. They have assets to ship out and a serious need for offensive improvements.
Some of those mock trades have Raptors fans dreaming about the possibilities of a Jamal Murray or Donovan Mitchell addition. Christopher Kline’s latest mock trade for FanSided isn’t one of those ideas. The trade would send Derrick White, Collin Murray-Boyles, Baylor Scheierman, and two future first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder, while the Boston Celtics would receive Chet Holmgren, and the Raptors would end up with Sam Hauser and picks 12, 17, and 27 in this year’s draft.
As Kline writes about the Raptors, “this is probably where this trade falls apart.”
The Raptors won’t give up Murray-Boyles for Hauser and a bunch of picks. Hauser is a good 3-point shooter, but not enough of a difference-maker to justify giving up a rookie who was a top-three player for your team in the playoffs. Draft picks are great. However, the Raptors are trying to build on this season’s playoff appearance. Giving up a young player who has already proven that he can help them win in the postseason and going into the new season with four draft picks on the roster (unless they use the return to make another trade) just isn’t the way to do that.
It would take a lot more than that for the Raptors to move Collin Murray-Boyles
Murray-Boyles is the player next to Scottie Barnes that the Raptors should want to move on from the least. He has plenty of room to grow offensively and the defensive potential with him and Barnes on the court together is enough to make Raptors fans forget any spacing concerns on the other end of the floor. Murray-Boyles already looks like a future All-Defensive Team member. Moving on from him now could look like a serious mistake in just a few years.
If a team wants the Raptors to move on from Murray-Boyles, it will take a lot more than a role player and a few draft picks. It would have to promise a shot at immediate title contention.
Not many trade packages would offer that unless the Denver Nuggets were open to sending Jamal Murray to Toronto or the Cleveland Cavaliers were to offer Donovan Mitchell. Even then, including Murray-Boyles in a deal would be a difficult decision. But if a team is willing to send a star to Toronto, they will want talent in return. Since Barnes is off the table, Murray-Boyles is the next-best thing.
