It’s difficult for the Toronto Raptors to be the lone non-U.S.-based NBA franchise. As a result, Toronto and Canada can sometimes get a bad rap, ultimately turning away high-profile names from signing up North. On the bright side, when the Toronto Raptors stumble upon a player who embraces the city and Canadian experience, it truly adds a sense of love within the fanbase. The Raptors can often be overlooked by their big-market counterparts and the media, slipping under the radar.
Hence, it was a welcome return to familiar territory when RJ Barrett was traded from the Knicks to the Toronto Raptors in the deal that sent OG Anunoby to New York. The hometown hero’s move back to his roots was a breath of fresh air, allowing Barrett to reconnect with his roots and play for the team that drafted him third overall in 2019. Prior to RJ’s arrival, the Raptors had never had a Canadian superstar in their nearly 30-year history, with only a few quality Canadian role players ever donning the team’s uniform.
The Toronto Raptors can target more Canadian players
With Chris Boucher, Kelly Olynyk, and RJ Barrett on the roster, the Toronto Raptors have a sense of added Canadian pride to their team’s identity. So why not keep building to their roster of Canadian Raptors by adding these three canucks from across the league. Not only do they proudly represent the country of Canada, but they could slide right into this iteration of the Toronto Raptors and contribute effectively.
No. 3: Trey Lyles
If you’re a die-hard Raptors fan, you probably remember that one random game in the 2022 season against the Pistons where Trey Lyles popped off from out of nowhere to put Toronto away decisively. A native of Saskatoon, Lyles was part of a stacked Kentucky Wildcats squad in 2014-15, where his collegiate cast included future All-Stars Karl Anthony-Towns and Devin Booker.
The 6-foot-9 big was a lottery selection, where the Utah Jazz picked up Lyles with the 12th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Lyles has since bounced around the league, serving as a solid backup forward in his nearly 10-year career in the NBA. He’s never been a rotation piece to receive more than 20 minutes, as his career average hovers more toward the cusp of that mark (18.3mpg).
You know what you’re getting with Trey Lyles if you’re a team throwing him a contract offer, and more often than not, Lyles is more than serviceable for his price tag. Lyles has only been offered contracts for around the mid-level exception or just above it, and he will still go out there to do what he can to help the team out. You don’t have to worry about Trey Lyles taking too many shots. He goes out there, can shoot the three-ball at a decent enough clip, grabs a solid amount of rebounds, and occasionally makes the most of his huge wingspan (nearly 7-foot-4).
Trey Lyles against BKN tonight ⤵️:
👑 14 PTS
👑 10 REB
👑 75% FG
👑 2 BLK— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 8, 2024
Trey Lyles shouldn’t be a difficult name to acquire from his current home in Sacramento, especially with his cost-efficient two-year deal worth $16 million signed the 2023 offseason. For a Toronto team lacking in some size, it could be worth a shot for the front office to take a swing on the 28-year-old journeyman and see what he could bring to the table. He won’t be a needle mover per se, but there’s definitely a world where Trey Lyles can find a consistent role in the Raptors rotation. I mean, he hasn’t fizzled out of the league this far out for a reason. Lyles is not too shabby at all.
No. 2: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
The Raptors require some desperate help in their rebuild. Some help on the three-point shooting end would be nice. Maybe some gritty defenders. Serviceable guard depth is another keynote of weakness. Enter Nickeil Alexander-Walker of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Cousin of recent MVP candidate and fellow Canadian standout Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nickeil is not the superstar his relative is, but he’s carved out a very integral role with his playoff Wolves squad.
Drafted with the 17th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Alexander-Walker spent his first three seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, never truly breaking out in his time in the Bayou. He was then included in a Portland-New Orleans deal that essentially swapped Josh Hart for CJ McCollum, however, Alexander-Walker was redirected to the Utah Jazz where he also had a mediocre stint. It wasn’t until NAW found a new home in Minnesota that his talents began to be noticed, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
In Minnesota’s first-round matchup with the Phoenix Suns, the Wolves had NAW guarding Devin Booker and put the four-time All-Star in the dog house. Putting these two guys side by side, any casual NBA fan would be quick to assume Booker could run circles around the ex-Virginia Tech Hokie. But NAW stepped into his assigned role in stride and used his quick-thinking defensive abilities to disrupt Booker and the Suns. Ultimately, the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 4-0 series sweep over the Phoenix Suns, and NAW was a huge factor in their decisive victory. It wasn’t just in the Suns series either, as NAW continued to be a defensive pest in the Nuggets series, giving Jamal Murray a headache matchup.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker smiling defense pic.twitter.com/6tThAJeDNQ
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 7, 2024
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is extremely valuable to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but given his impressive breakout and pending free agency in 2025, it could be the right time to strike a deal for the Raptors. Of course, it isn’t ideal as his improvements and recognition across the league will see his asking price spike a bit, but some salary filler (Jalen McDaniels would fit perfectly, go reunite him with his bro) and draft capital that isn’t too crazy could do the trick. Then again, the Wolves could just opt to keep him and let him walk in free agency, The team has a lot of money on the books with Ant, KAT, Gobert, McDaniels, and Naz Reid, so at least getting something of value back for NAW is a positive for Minnesota.
No. 1: Lu Dort
This is a bit of a long shot, but hear it out. Back to another important player for a playoff-contending unit in the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lu Dort has made a name for himself as one of the league’s elite perimeter defenders. The Montreal native has a pesky knack for locking down opposing players in what has been referred to as “The Dorture Chamber”, and it’s truly a pleasant sight to see Dort’s career play out as someone who went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Dort spent a lone season at Arizona State, but his collegiate efforts did not impress any teams enough to select him with a draft pick, rather he signed a two-way deal with the OKC Thunder leading up to the 2019-20 season. Dort found himself on a retooling OKC roster with master floor general Chris Paul, a young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, veteran Danilo Gallinari, and Thunder mainstay Steven Adams. It was in the 2020 NBA Bubble where Dort caught the fans and media’s attention alike, as his strong defensive abilities were on full display opposing then-Houston Rockets superstar James Harden.
Dort went from a two-way player to justifiably earning a five-year $87.5 million contract extension in the 2022 offseason. Since that Bubble breakout, Dort has arguably been the heart and soul of OKC alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. So why would Oklahoma City deal out their defensive dynamo? The Thunder are in a bit of a weird situation. They are talented enough to be a playoff contender, and even had high aspirations for a championship push this season, but some of the pieces around the team are redundant or lacking. For example, the Thunder struggled mightily with their lack of big-man depth, putting a ton of the load on rookie Chet Holmgren’s shoulders.
You know who could be a solid backup or even starting-caliber center for the Thunder? Jakob Poeltl. Sure, he’s making a ton of money for his production, but at his absolute best, Poeltl can be a difference-maker for his team. Just look at the Raptors’ abysmal record when Poeltl was out with an injury. He has his limitations, but he could easily be inserted in a lineup alongside Chet, and the fluidity of running two bigs could work. Losing Dort would hurt, but the Thunder have quality replacements in Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, and Jalen Williams, who could finally move to his more natural small forward position. The Thunder have the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft too, so that’s another player who could slide into the Dort role.
Dort is a tremendous player, who is also still very young in his NBA career at only 25 years old, but he may not be as untouchable as he once was to Sam Presti and the Thunder front office. The time could be now for Toronto to bring in their possible OG Anunoby / 3-and-D wing replacement for the future.
