Raptors Comment on Kings Deal as Flexibility Pays Dividends for Toronto

The Toronto Raptors have officially used their much-coveted flexibility to swing a multi-play deal with the Sacramento Kings

Oct 8, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Malachi Flynn (22) guards Sacramento Kings guard Davion Mitchell (15) as he dribbles the ball in the first half at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports / Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors are finally using their flexibility.

It had become a bit of a buzzword around Toronto. Patience, flexibility, and optionality were all ways of saying the organization wanted to wait for the right time to make a move. Since the moment Toronto inked the Pascal Siakam deal, the Raptors began preaching the value of flexibility.

On Thursday, Toronto exercised it.

The Raptors turned Jalen McDaniels and cap space flexibility into Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, a 2024 second-round pick used on Jamal Shead, and a 2025 second-round pick from Portland in a deal with the Sacramento Kings who were looking to shed salary. It was a deal made possible by the trade exception Toronto created by moving Siakam to Indiana.

It's a deal on paper that looks like highway robbery. McDaniels had been a non-factor for Toronto last season after inking a two-year deal with the team. He failed to make any sort of positive impact and couldn't even claim regular playing time even when Toronto's losing streak began to mount.

But this deal was never about McDaniels.

Sacramento was up against the luxury tax and will save $8.4 million with the trade, allowing the Kings to dip below the luxury tax for now.

For Toronto, it was essentially a no-cost opportunity to take a look at two potentially intriguing players and add some draft capital too. Mitchell was the No. 9 pick in the 2021 NBA draft and has always been a very good point guard who has just struggled to find his footing as an inconsistent offensive player. Vezenkov is a former EuroLeague MVP who came over to the NBA last season and continued to show he's a high-level shooter who needs to find ways to round out his game.

In Shead, Toronto added a Mitchell-like point guard who is a feisty on-ball defender who needs to find ways to make more of an offensive impact. He's an older prospect, having spent four years in college, but should compete for Toronto's backup point guard spot alongside Mitchell.

As for the 2025 second-round pick, Portland isn't expected to be very good next season and there's a good chance that pick ends up being somewhere in the 30s. It's not going to be some incredibly valuable pick, but as a pot sweetener to a deal it's good enough.

"This trade provides us with a mix of young and veteran players, as well as future flexibility and draft assets, as we continue our quest to win, and so we’re pleased to welcome Davion, Sasha and Jamal to the Raptors and to Toronto,” Raptors General Manager Bobby Webster said in a statement.

Toronto by no means hit a home run with this trade. The chances that Mitchell, Vezenkov, Shead, or that 2025 second-round pick become high-impact players for the Raptors when the organization is ready to contend again is unlikely. But it's OK to hit some singles and maybe Toronto manages to find a diamond in the rough here.

As the saying goes, you'll never go broke taking a profit.