De Rozan would be a better long term piece if he was more of a threat from deep. If I am building a team, I want a guy at PG who can get the ball moving, both on the dribble and the pass, an elite inside option, 1-2 guys who can shoot the ball and put it on the floor enough to keep defences honest and a PF who can rebound, defend and hit a mid-range jumper. Then you can worry about the bench having some cover and a guy who can come out and score.
The raptors could build along these lines:
PG = Lowry
SG = Ross
SF = ????
PF = Patterson
C = Valanciunas
DeRozan doesn't have a good enough shot from deep to stretch the floor, and since he is driving, it clogs the lane and makes the offence too repetitive.
His value is also high - which is what makes him good trade bait.
I am not sure you can get a guy in the draft to fit the team's needs, unless you get into the early lottery (1-7). Late lottery 2-4 guys don't jump out at me as worth a big trade, as I feel a guy with question marks projected in the 20s, like Adreian Payne or Glen Robinson III, is not enough of a drop off to trade up this year, at least purely looking at picks.
Also, the teams in the early lottery might not bite at DeRozan - maybe Utah if they think they will lose Hayward, but most have scorers at 2/3 already.
Time may be right to cash in on DeRozan, should the team feel his skillset doesn't mesh long term with their desired team makeup, but the right deal might not be there.
|