Report: Raptors Have 'Expressed Interest' in Portland's Jusuf Nurkic

The Toronto Raptors are reportedly interested in trying to trade for Portland Trail Blazers big Jusuf Nurkic

Aaron Rose | Feb 5, 2022

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Add Jusef Nurkic to the list of trade targets for the Toronto Raptors.

Toronto has reportedly expressed interest in the Portland Trail Blazers' 27-year-old big, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. He joins a list that reportedly includes Jakob Poeltl, Myles Turner, Robert Williams III, Nicolas Claxton, and Danilo Gallinari.

Nurkic is a skilled 6-foot-11 defensive big who would immediately make a big difference in Toronto's frontcourt. He's a talented screener who would work well in the pick-and-roll alongside Fred VanVleet and whose rebounding prowess would go a long way to helping boost the league's third-worst defensive rebounding team.

The big question is what the Trail Blazers are looking to do right now. They just sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, and Keon Johnson, and appear to be heading toward a retooling. That could make Nurkic expendable if Toronto is willing to attach a first-round pick or young players to Goran Dragic's contract to create more financial flexibility for Portland next season.

If the Raptors can pull off the deal, they're going to want to keep Nurkic around moving forward and that'll mean signing him to a long-term deal this summer. Considering his injury track record, that may be concerning, but his upside may be too much for Toronto to pass up.

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