The Toronto Raptors gambled big last offseason by trading away a franchise cornerstone for a player largely perceived as a “one-year rental”. It paid off, and as of June 13th, 2019, they are champions. How does this relate to the New Orleans Pelicans’ situation with AD?
The Toronto Raptors were a great team for years, they were in a position to orchestrate a trade of this magnitude to put them over the top. That should echo as a quick disclaimer, adding in New Orleans Pelicans’ big man, Anthony Davis, won’t take you to that next level if the proper framework isn’t in play. However, and especially for certain teams, it just might.
The Golden State Warriors showcased what made them a dynasty over the past couple of weeks. Their inability to die, hanging in with what was a superior team (mainly due to Warrior injuries), and really giving the Raptors all they could handle. Kevin Durant made a miraculous return, just to reaggravate his previous injury and now will unfortunately miss significant time.
Klay Thompson engaged “Game 6 Klay” mode, going 8-12 from the field and registering 30 points before going down in the third with injury. All of our respect and admiration should go to those two superstars, here’s hoping for a successful recovery. With them sidelined for a prolonged period of time, the Western Conference opens up.
Steve Kerr: "What matters is Kevin Durant is going to miss next season with an Achilles tear. What matters is Klay suffered a knee injury. We'll know more later. But it's just brutal, just brutal what these guys have had to deal with."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 14, 2019
Those teams in the Warriors dynasty that were good, but not good enough, now have a gaping window of opportunity. The Raptors were in a similar position for years in the east, they entered every season as contenders but would ultimately fall short in the postseason time and time again. Then they traded away DeMar DeRozan, who was arguably the best player in franchise history at the time in a package centered around Spurs’ forward, Kawhi Leonard.
But Leonard only had a year left on his deal, the move had the potential of horrifically backfiring. Also, Leonard missed the majority of the previous season rehabbing from injury (much to the dismay of Spurs’ personnel, and mainly, Skip Bayless). DeRozan brought about a new movement in Toronto, he was really the first star to embrace the city and want to stay long-term.
Now he was gone for a player that seemed upset he was being shipped to the lone Canadian team in the NBA. There was no way he would re-sign with the Raptors, and if they had another early exit from the playoffs the move would be criticized for years. But here we are, almost a year after the trade, and the Toronto Raptors have won their first title in franchise history. Even if Leonard were to depart this summer in free agency, this move was a success.
Anthony Davis enters next summer with a player option that he can opt out of and test the waters of free agency. That could be a deterrent for front offices in the NBA, or they could look at the roster they have in play and try a Kawhi Leonard-like experiment.
The Portland’s and Denver’s of the world, who are known in the NBA spectrum to not be preferred destinations of free agents could look at the Anthony Davis situation and want to strike now. As I mentioned—with Durant and Thompson out—a window opens up for them. The Nuggets do have more enticing assets and could construct a very appealing package for AD. A frontcourt manned by Jokic and Davis could terrorize the west, or it could fall flat, that’s the fun thing about hypotheticals.
Portland would more than likely have to involve CJ McCollum; who they might not want to part ways with, but a combination of Lillard and Davis could get them over the hump. Over the past five seasons, the Warriors have eliminated the Blazers from playoff contention three times. There are other contenders out west, but the only team standing in the way of them and the NBA Finals this year was the Warriors.
The same applies to teams out east, as well. Ainge and the Celtics have remained adamant they wish to pursue Anthony Davis even with Kyrie Irving potentially walking in free agency. If that were the case, and they trade away their core assets, it seems unlikely the move would pan out—but hey, ’07 Garnett anyone?
The Brooklyn Nets have emerged favorites to land Kyrie Irving, could they make a play for AD and provide the next dynamic tandem in the NBA? There’s plenty of substance here, the seemingly two-team race has opened up to the remainder of the NBA. One-year rentals definitely come with plenty of risks, but they can also put a Larry O’Brien trophy in your hands.