Toronto Raptors Become Eastern Conference Favorites With This Bold Trade

The Toronto Raptors have been a pleasant surprise this season. Many people weren’t expecting them to even make the playoffs when the season started. As of Tuesday, they are the fourth seed in the East with a record of 20–14.

So should the Raptors double down on their success and make a big trade? They’ve long had an interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo, and he could completely change their franchise’s trajectory.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report wrote about “5 Blockbuster NBA Trades That Should Happen After Christmas,” and he created a bold Raptors trade that would completely change the Eastern Conference landscape. 

“Milwaukee Bucks receive: RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Collin Murray-Boyles, Ja'Kobe Walter, a 2030 first-round pick, a 2032 first-round pick, and a 2031 first-round pick swap.

Why Toronto does it: Bucks fans will disagree, but how fun would this be? The Raptors would essentially reprise the role they played in Kawhi Leonard's split from the Spurs back in 2018 and hope to see a similar outcome—only with additional cracks at the crown.

Toronto boasts a rich collection of above-average-to-good talent, but this group needs an elite player to fully enter the championship chase. Antetokounmpo is on the shortest list of the planet's best players and certainly the best among those with any kind of shot at becoming available between now and the trade deadline.”

If Giannis asks for a trade, the Raptors need to put everything on the table to get him. All the picks, all the swaps, everything. That’s because, despite their current success, the Raptors aren’t on a trajectory to be true title contenders. If they got Giannis, that’s exactly where they’d be headed.