Should The Toronto Raptors Pursue A Trade For James Harden? Is It Wise For Toronto To Trade Away Pascal Siakam And Kyle Lowry?

The 2020-21 NBA season has appeared to be the most bizarre start to a season. From NBA playoff contenders getting blown out by what most view as lottery teams to many previous playoff teams currently struggling to appear as a contender, this NBA season has started with an improper balance of competitiveness. However, the Toronto Raptors stand out the most as they have emerged as one of the worst teams in the NBA after coming off of a fairly successful post-season in the NBA bubble. Their struggles originate from lacking a true center as both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka have taken their talents elsewhere to pursue a second championship. With both these centers gone, the best that the Raptors could do this season was to sign Arron Baynes as their starting center, which is a terrible option if the Raptors want to remain competitive. If Baynes were a back-up option to a more established starting center, then Toronto would be in a much better place. 

Besides the center position, former All-Star Pascal Siakam has yet to return to his old self since his terrible production in the bubble. This season, Siakam is averaging 20.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, which may appear to be decent statistics until factoring in his percentages from the field as he is averaging career lows while taking fewer attempts from the field. Even though Siakam is not the main reason for the Raptors terrible start, he is the star player and the focal point of this team, making him the most responsible. 

Blaming Siakam for the Raptors horrendous start of the season might be unfair as other factors have emerged, including having a much worse roster than a season prior. Siakam was accused of being the main reason why the Toronto Raptors lost to the Boston Celtics as he played abysmally. If it wasn’t for Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby, the Raptors would have most likely lost in five games instead of losing in seven. While Siakam did accept that he was the reason why the Raptors lost in the semi-conference finals, many analysts suspected that he would enter the 2020-21 season as a different player. 

Toronto could be entering a rebuilding phase as the Kyle Lowry era is almost coming to a close. With Kyle Lowry yet to state anything regarding his future with Toronto, should the Raptors move forward and trade away Pascal Siakam for other assets that can help them win now, or should they keep Siakam and pursue a rebuild? 

Before this season started, James Harden was the most talked about player in the NBA due to his announcement of wanting out of Houston. While this news was not surprising, a more shocking development appeared on various sources, which was the Toronto Raptors having an interest in trading for James Harden. Even though this is still technically an option that both organizations can consider, the Raptors would have no choice but to offer an overpriced package for a 32-year-old James Harden. Despite Harden being a former MVP and one of the greatest scorers the NBA has ever seen, his track record in the NBA playoffs has been scarce and mostly unreliable. Toronto relies heavily on team basketball, which presents scoring opportunities for mostly everyone on the court. With James Harden in the line-up, team basketball could diminish, making the Raptors potentially worse than what they already are. Even though James Harden is the best player in any trade scenario, the Raptors should look the other way and pursue other options if they are really keen on trading away Siakam, Lowry or anyone else. This is a prime example of why trading for the best player available is not always the best situation for a team’s success. 

While Toronto is having an unusual start to this season, blowing up the team and all their core assets is not the solution unless they can somehow trade for a young superstar in the NBA like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Luka Doncic. Even though Harden is a superstar in the NBA, he is also 32-years-old and a player that tends to struggle when needed the most. His highlights and shooting ability is impressive, but Toronto strives through ball movement more than anything else, making this pursuit a terrible option. Instead, Toronto should trade for a more established starting center on an expiring deal, such as Hassan Whiteside, who is getting little to no minutes on the Sacramento Kings. Whiteside might not be able to make a three-pointer to save his life, but his defence and rebounding will definitely suffice that loss. Even though Harden is the better player, trading for Hassan Whiteside is the better option in terms of overall fit. The Raptors have scorers in Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry and need a defensive center such as Hassan Whiteside.