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[The Ringer] Why the Raptors Should Go All In for Damian Lillard
(www.theringer.com)
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My ideal timeline would be a full tear down and rebuild with Scottie being at the center of that. Trading for Dame eliminates that direction.
I don’t believe we are good enough with Dame to contend and a second move would require sending Siakam/OG which based on current belief are rated to high by the raptors hurting their return or are not valued high enough by teams around the league. Both which hurt the team and don’t really add enough positive value in versus value going out.
But I agree, currently there is no one timeline but two which is messing everything up.
A complete rebuild would be an alternative. But it's a bit dangerous to start this season since the pick is only Top 6 protected. So the Raptors might tank for nothing, if they end up with the 7th-9th pick.
I personally think it's a waste to tear everything down. Yes, losing FVV was a big hit but there is still a decent core. Siakam and OG are still in their prime. There are still plenty of draft picks available after the Lillard trade to upgrade the team further without having to give up too much. And there is always the possibility of trading Lillard for picks if it doesn't work out after 2 seasons. I don't think Lillard will lose much trade value by then.