The Toronto Raptors had a great season given the larger expectations people had from the team. When they drafted Scottie Barnes over Jalen Suggs in the 2021 Draft, many questioned the move, considering the already loaded depth the Raptors had at the forward position. However, the move turned out to be the right one after Suggs had a tough rookie season while Barnes won Rookie of the Year.
The Raptors over-achieved their way into the 5th seed in the East but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round. With people still wanting Toronto to be more traditional and swap their wing depth out for a genuine starting center, rumors of a possible trade involving Rudy Gobert started floating around, at the expense of former champion OG Anunoby.
Scottie Barnes was having none of that, dismissing the reports on Instagram by commenting on a post talking about the possible trade:
Scottie Barnes ain't buying the trade rumors about OG Anunoby. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/rlxP8Fhzwg
— theScore (@theScore) May 31, 2022
3-and-D wings like Anunoby are crucial in the NBA and have seen their value increase every season. Anunoby is still young and developing, even though he has been a part of the Raptors organization for a long time now. It should take a lot for anyone to entice Anunoby out of Toronto, and Masai Ujiri will definitely not sell low on OG.
It is fair to wonder how the Raptors would look with a more conventional lineup, but that can be achieved without having to sacrifice a player of OG’s caliber. The frontcourt can’t see Pascal Siakam, Anunoby, and Barnes get minutes together if they want a traditional center, so it does seem like Anunoby may be the most likely choice to be moved.
Hopefully, the Raptors can figure out a way to keep all three players together and see what this dynamic trio can achieve with guards like Gary Trent Jr. and Fred VanVleet. Centers can be acquired for cheap and give the rotation some versatility, but it won’t be worth it to overpay on a center with Anunoby and then lose crucial wing depth, not to mention chemistry.
