Two NBA teams remain, but the Toronto Raptors are deep into their offseason. This means that President Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster will explore all trade options. If the Raptors want to return to the summit, as they did six years ago, they will have to utilize the trade market. With many targets available, Toronto can look to the past to steer them in the right direction. It took the team nearly a decade to build their championship-winning squad. Here are three trades from across seven years that changed Raptors history forever, leading to a championship.
3 Trades That Changed Toronto Raptors History
The Beginning (Kyle Lowry)
Without knowing it, on July 5th, 2012, the Raptors would make a trade that would change their franchise forever. They sent Gary Forbes and a future first-round pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Kyle Lowry. This move ultimately led to the formation of the legendary backcourt duo of Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. This trade showed off Toronto’s ability to be aggressive when the circumstances arose.
Whenever there was a chance to upgrade the team, the Raptors took it. Often, when trading a guy like Forbes and a first-round pick, it’s not supposed to be a franchise-altering move. But this wasn’t the case for the Raptors. When they liked a player, they would go and get them, no matter how small the trade looked.
Lowry went on to play 685 games for the Raptors, leading the franchise all-time in assists, steals, three-point field goals, and triple-doubles. Ultimately, Toronto flipped a two-year player and a pick into arguably one of the greatest players in their franchise’s history.
A Change (Serge Ibaka)
After a couple of failed attempts in the playoffs, the Raptors took a different approach to their play style. They traded Terrence Ross and a future first-round pick in return for Serge Ibaka. This demonstrated their desire to play better on the defensive end, which ultimately became a significant factor in their championship win. Ibaka became a leader on a team that desperately needed an experienced player who could be clutch in scenarios they hadn’t succeeded in before. The forward/center went on to play 283 games, averaging 14.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. But more importantly, he was a crucial piece in helping the team climb the summit.
The Final Piece (Marc Gasol)
Kawhi Leonard had recently been traded to the Raptors, and the team was expected to have a deep playoff run. The only piece that seemed to be missing was a quality defensive big man. Jonas Valanciunas spent the first seven years of his career as a solid offensive player. However, his lack of mobility and explosiveness made it difficult for him to protect the rim. For a team that was about to come across Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, this would make it difficult in a seven-game series. So, Ujiri and Webster hit the market looking for a defensive center. They came across the perfect target: a former grit and grind center who anchored a team that was known for its defense. The package consisted of Valanciunas, C.J. Miles, Delon Wright, and a second-round pick for Marc Gasol.
This move was the final piece to the puzzle of the Raptors’ championship-winning squad. The trade paid off in the second and third rounds, where Gasol played tremendous defense, slowing down Embiid, and being an anchor in the famous wall that stopped Antetokounmpo. Gasol appeared in 105 games for Toronto. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but his 35 playoff games stood out as he went 23-12 on route to winning a championship. This trade, like the first two, helped change Raptors history.
Featured image: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
The post 3 Trades That Changed Toronto Raptors History appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.