Toronto Raptors
This is kind of similar to the Enes Kanter trade that I began things with. Valanciunas is an awesome big man, and I wonder if Toronto would be willing to part ways with him or Serge Ibaka, who have been splitting starting minutes all season long.
Valanciunas is a guy that, like Kanter, can fill it up on a nightly basis. He’s a great scorer in the low-post, but has added a three-point shot to his bag of tricks, making him a real tough cover for opposing defenses.
The big man from Lithuania is averaging 13.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in just 19.7 minutes. Those are pretty insane numbers for a guy playing less than 20 minutes a night.
I’d understand if the Raptors decided to not make any moves at all, because they are a team contending for a championship, and they don’t want to mess up any chemistry that the team has developed over the course of the season.
If they did, however, make any players available for trade, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Valanciunas’ name pop up on multiple teams’ radar. He’s 26-years old, continuing to improve on both ends of the court, and is another guy that can give you a double-double on any given night.