Following the injury to star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, the Toronto Raptors suddenly found themselves in a rough situation after taking the top spot on the Eastern Conference ladder through the first 20 games of the season. Now without their leading scorer, there could be a chance that Toronto might lean on acquiring a very familiar player - Vinsanity everyone?
According to Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders, the Raptors could be a potential buyer on the trading front because of their need to offset the absence of DeRozan, who was averaging 19.4 points and 4.2 rebounds before going down with a torn tendon in his groin.
Without DeRozan on the lineup, the Raptors lost three of their last six games, including two losses against their potential Eastern Conference playoff rival Cleveland Cavaliers.
Greene thinks general manager Masai Ujiri might pull off a deal to unload some of their expiring contracts in exchange for a much-needed talent, particularly at the wing position.
"Toronto is strongly positioned to make some noise on the trade front. The team has six players accounting for close to $30 million in expiring deals with Amir Johnson ($7m), Landry Fields ($6.3m), Chuck Hayes ($6m), Lou Williams ($5.5m), Tyler Hansbrough ($3.3m) and Greg Steimsma (915k) scheduled to come off the books at season's end," Greene stated.
Although Ujiri appears to be hesitant in parting ways with some of their players (which could affect the team's chemistry, many insiders believe a trade is not much of a stretch mainly because of the Toronto GM's reputation as a shrewd operator behind the scenes.
One possible trade option for the Raptors is to bring in Vince Carter, who is currently playing with Western Conference juggernaut Memphis Grizzlies.
Carter, who is just averaging 5.2 points in 15 minutes of playing time, hasn't been given consistent playing time in Memphis as of late, and there's a chance his role could further diminish if the Grizzlies were able to land shooting guard Dion Waiters from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for backup center Kosta Koufus.
Acquiring Carter won't be tricky at all for the Raptors since he's just pegged at $3M per season over the next three seasons. Moreover, Carter could be a catalyst for the Raps as they go deeper towards the postseason.
While he doesn't have the insane leaping ability anymore, Carter has nevertheless become a more efficient long-range bomber in this league, shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc in his final two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. This season, Carter has just made 28 percent of his three-point shots mainly because of limited playing time.
Not only Carter would give the Raptors a pretty solid three-point shooter, his presence in the locker room and intensity on the court could be a big factor for the resurging ball club. Also, he has proven over the years that he can be leaned on in clutch situations - just ask the San Antonio Spurs.
Will Vinsanity 2.0 happen in Toronto this year? Who knows? After all, the ball is on Ujiri's court.
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