It's been a transformative season for the Raptors.
Before the New Year, Toronto traded O.G. Anunoby to New York for a package headlined by Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. A month later, the team has reportedly agreed to trade Pascal Siakam to Indiana for Bruce Brown Jr., Jordan Nwora and three first-round draft picks.
The Raptors checked a few boxes with the trades, the most important being that they've begun a rebuild around Scottie Barnes by targeting young players who are on a similar timeline and better complement his skill set.
The No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Barnes hit the ground running with the Raptors and was named Rookie of the Year. He didn't make the leap many expected him to as a sophomore, but he's playing at an All-Star level in the 2023-24 season, averaging career highs of 20.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
How does the Siakam trade impact Toronto's rotation around Barnes? Let's take a closer look.
MORE: Pascal Siakam trade grades: Pacers add star, Raptors focus on future
Updated Raptors depth chart after Pascal Siakam trade
Quickley, Barrett, Barnes and Jakob Poeltl will almost certainly continue to be four of the five starters. Brown and Gary Trent Jr. are each candidates for the final spot.
Trent has been on the team for four seasons and provides 3-point shooting. Brown isn't the 3-point shooter that Trent is, but he's a connector on offense and a versatile defender. He played an important role in Denver's championship last season and is averaging a career-best 11.6 points per game so far this season.
"Brown is a really nice fit around Scottie Barnes, which should be the No. 1 criteria for any player the team adds going forward," our Steph Noh wrote in his trade grades. "He's a do-it-all role player that can make stars around him look better."
For now, let's pencil Brown into the starting lineup. He has the potential to be a seamless fit next to Quickley, Barrett and Barnes.
- PG: Immanuel Quickley, Dennis Schroder, Kira Lewis Jr.
- SG: Bruce Brown Jr., Gary Trent Jr.
- SF: RJ Barrett, Jordan Nwora, Jalen McDaniels
- PF: Scottie Barnes, Chris Boucher, Otto Porter Jr.
- C: Jakob Poeltl, Jontay Porter, Thaddeus Young, Christian Koloko
Poeltl is currently out with an ankle injury. Young replaced him in the starting lineup for three straight games, but Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic made a change in Monday's loss to the Celtics by starting Porter.
The No. 13 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Lewis is an interesting flyer for the Raptors. He wasn't able to crack the rotation in New Orleans and he's a career 30.2 percent 3-point shooter, but he was one of the fastest players in his draft class.
Nwora's numbers are down this season, but he's a career 38.1 percent 3-point shooter who plays hard. The Raptors will get a close look at him before he enters free agency.
