The Raptors need offensive help. The current roster has a two-way star in Scottie Barnes and a great defensive infrastructure, but lacks offensive creation, scoring, and 3-point shooting. Who better to fix that than Canadian star guard Jamal Murray?
After an early playoff exit, the Denver Nuggets could be looking to make some serious changes. President Josh Kroenke told the media that Nikola Jokic is the only Nuggets player who is completely off the table in trade talks. The Raptors could make sense as a trade partner for Murray. It would allow Murray to play in Canada and still compete, and the Raptors have plenty of interesting assets, ranging from young(ish) players to draft capital.
Sam Quinn recently proposed a mock trade that would get Murray to Toronto on the Third Apron Podcast. In that trade, the Raptors would receive Murray, Christian Braun, and DaRon Holmes in exchange for Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Collin Murray-Boyles. Giving up Murray-Boyles—and Barrett, to an extent—would be a difficult cost to stomach for the Raptors. But it could pay off with a shot at title contention.
The Raptors would have to be VERY high on Murray to give up Collin Murray-Boyles
Trading RJ Barrett after the playoff series he just had for his hometown team would hurt, and many fans in Toronto probably wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea. But he would be replaced by another Canadian star in this scenario, and adding someone like Murray could improve the Raptors’ offense enough to make them a serious threat in the Eastern Conference.
Including Collin Murray-Boyles is the real problem. The Raptors got more out of their lottery pick than they could have hoped for. Murray-Boyles made a seamless transition to the NBA and was one of the Raptors three best players in the playoffs. The defensive potential between him and Scottie Barnes is sky-high.
Moving on from Murray-Boyles after just one season would be brutal, even if it helps turn the Raptors into a contender.
Jamal Murray would make the Raptors offense a lot better
Murray can do basically everything the Raptors need offensively. He is a reliable volume 3-point shooter, he can initiate offense, and he can just go get a bucket when you need it. The 29-year-old averaged a career-high 25.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists this season. He shot 43.5% from three on 7.5 attempts per game.
He and Scottie Barnes would make for an incredibly two-man punch. The mock trade also didn’t include Brandon Ingram. A trio of Murray, Barnes, and Ingram could give opposing defenses serious trouble.
