Here's one potential trade and draft idea for the Raptors this offseason, which might be one way to help accomplish a possible big picture overall strategy and lineup configuration that is also suggested and outlined.
May 22, 2025 - Original
Rockets
- Poeltl
- Agbaji
- Shead
- Mogbo
Raptors
- 10th Pick - 2025
- J. Smith
- Sheppard
- 2nd Round - 2026 & 2027
Raptors Draft
- 9th - Bryant or Coward
- 10th - Wolf or Fleming
- 39th - Shulga or S. James, Tonje or Lanier
Raptors Free Agent
- Horford (3PT + FT + Experience)
- Lopez (3PT + FT + Experience)
- T. Bryant (3PT + FT + Young)
- Looney for now (Rebounding + Pass + Exp)
- Capela for now (Rebounding + Screen + Exp)
- Drummond for now (Rebounding + Size + Exp)
Rockets Lineup
- VanVleet - Shead - Holiday
- Green - Agbaji - Free Agent
- Brooks - Thompson - Whitmore
- Sengun - Eason - Mogbo
- Poeltl - Adams - Free Agent
Raptors Lineup
- Quickley - Sheppard - Shulga
- Ingram - Dick - Walter
- Barnes - Bryant - Battle
- J. Smith - Barrett - Boucher
- Free Agent - Wolf - Chomche
Team Improvements
- Rockets get better older winning players, ball handling, passing, defense
- Rockets get a center who works well with VanVleet and UofH Shead
- Rockets can move Sengun to PF to focus on offense, maybe Green to 6th
- Raptors get better potential and young players to continue growing
- Raptors get shooting potential with Sheppard, Bryant, Wolf, Shulga
- Raptors can move Ingram, Dick, or Barrett to SG with Agbaji gone
Raptors Overall Strategy
- Get great or best 3PT and FT shooters that are not Barnes and Chomche
- Barrett plays more than Smith as 6th man bench scoring and handling
- Proper positions by having Barrett be only one playing out of position
- Better rebounding with players big and long at positions except Barrett
- Find best or great shooters at all positions who can defend, even center
- Play small if/when needed for best/all shooters, sacrificing size sometimes
Raptors Players Strategy
- Quickley, Ingram, Barnes, Barrett handle ball, pick and roll, spot up 3PT
- Smith, Dick, Bryant, Sheppard cut, move, and stretch for open 3PT shots
- Barnes, Wolf, Chomche also set screens, double passing to 3PT shooters
- Quickley, Sheppard, or very best 3PT shooters you want shooting the most
- Walter and Chomche promoted to bench in the future for better defense
- Shulga and Battle can be used when more shooting and offense wanted
June 19, 2025 - Updated
- I'm not certain I'd take Wolf, risk with lower defense and athleticism at C
- But, I think Wolf will be really good for someone and may be best at C not PF
- If Raptors did have 9th and 10th I might even take both Bryant and Coward
- I think trading for an additional first round pick makes sense, if not 10th pick
- Since neither player is a center, maybe Bryant/Coward and Fleming instead
- Or maybe Jabari Smith would play backup center for now, but not perfect
- Barrett could move into the starting lineup, but bench maybe too young
- Maluach and Essengue are intriguing, but my focus is also on great shooting