Raptors Mailbag: LaVine Trade, All-Star RJ, Gradey's Role & More

It's been quiet for the Toronto Raptors lately but our mailbag is full of questions as we near the start of next season

Jan 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett (9) turns up court beside guard Gary Trent Jr. (33) in the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / dan hamilton-usa today sports

It's vacation time for most of the NBA with a month to go before training camp and it's as quiet as it'll be all year.

Save for Isaac Okoro who remains a restricted free agent for the Cleveland Cavaliers, virtually all the top free agents have been signed and the Toronto Raptors look poised to take their current group into the season as is. There's not much news to talk about, but as always fans filled up my mailbag on Instagram with a ton of questions. If you have a question for a future mailbag article, follow me on Instagram @aaronbenrose and direct message me a question or respond to one of my mailbag stories.

Without further ado:

Do you think it was the right move to move on from Gary Trent Jr. - @masiahcorridon

I think both sides misread the market for Gary Trent Jr. this summer. Trent on a minimum deal is great value for the Milwaukee Bucks and theoretically would have been for Toronto too, though I doubt he would have re-signed with the Raptors for the veteran minimum.

Ideally, Toronto would have traded Trent for something either at the trade deadline this past year or the year before. I doubt the offers would have amounted to much, but even a second-round pick or two is better than nothing. That said, moving on from Trent opens up more opportunities for Gradey Dick and Ja'Kobe Walter at virtually the same position, and for the long-term health of the organization that's a good thing.

Reporter posted online that the Raps could possibly trade for Zach LaVine for Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown - @rencin777

My understanding is the Bulls are prepared to pay to get off Zach LaVine's contract and while this kind of offer wouldn't be much for Toronto to give up, it's the size and length of LaVine's deal that makes his trade value so unappealing.

LaVine can certainly score when he's healthy, but he doesn't offer much else and the size of his contract with three more years at $138 million would be a stayaway for me.

With all the "tank" talk are you worried about getting into long ruts of losing seasons? - @demystifyingpaul

For sure, there's no guarantee you win the lottery or make the right choice with your top picks. The Detroit Pistons have learned that lesson all too well. However, we've seen multiple instances where a brief tank turns a franchise around pretty quickly. The Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder have bounced back quickly and I think the San Antonio Spurs are pretty excited about where they're heading.

There's no plan that is certain to work, but picks are the top of the lottery are more likely to hit than picks later in the lottery and more talent typically leads to more wins. Considering how good this 2025 draft is supposed to be, one more down year seems like a pretty good idea to me.

What role will Gradey Dick play this season? - @tgoncalo7

If I had to bet on it, I'd say Dick will probably be Toronto's starting shooting guard next season. It's not a certainty and there are other options, as I wrote about on Monday. Regardless of when he sees the court, Dick is going to be an off-ball mover, floor spacer, and three-point shooter. He looked impressive in the second half of the season in that role and the hope is he takes another step as a more high-volume three-point shooter.

Where do you see the Raptors being in 5 years? - @dthiru9

It's hard to know. I'd imagine most of this roster looks very different. Scottie Barnes should be here and maybe one or two other current players, but over a five-year horizon most things change in the NBA.

I could see a scenario where Toronto is back among the Eastern Conference's best teams. That would involve Barnes taking another step forward, Immanuel Quickley proving he's a high-end point guard, and Toronto adding another All-Star caliber player to the rotation. It's possible RJ Barrett emerges as that kind of player.

Conversely, there's a scenario where this rebuild doesn't work out. It's possible Barnes peaks as a low-end All-Star whose shot never really comes along, Quickley proves to be a capable, but not difference-making starting point guard, and Toronto never finds that additional impact player. I'm not saying this will happen, but we haven't seen enough from this group to know for certain that it won't.

Could Davion Mitchell start at the 1? IQ off ball, more defense taking pressure off Scottie Barnes? - @yohan.dabir

I think we'll see lineups like this at times next year, but I doubt we see a starting lineup with Davion Mitchell and Quickley on the court together. It'd be a very small starting lineup without enough shooting. Considering Mitchell was out of the rotation for Sacramento at times last year, he's got a long way to go before he's starting for Toronto this year.

All-Star RJ? 22 pts, 7 reb, 3 assists? - @kingfisherfitnessnz

Barrett was at 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 32 with Toronto last season. That came with 39.2% three-point shooting, which is a number that's a bit of an outlier for Barrett's career. I'm very curious to see if the Barrett we saw over the second half of last season is really the Barrett we're going to see moving forward or just a hot streak for a generally streaky player.

As for the first part of your question, it would take a huge jump from the Raptors to have two players make the All-Star team this year. Unless Barrett jumps ahead of Barnes as the team's leader, I don't see Toronto getting two players into the All-Star game.