Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors took over the NBA world two seasons ago when they traded for Kawhi Leonard, ultimately leading to the franchise’s first NBA Championship. The Raptors normally do not make big moves like trading for Kawhi as they normally build their team from inside the organization, but if they want to continue to legit threats, they need to continue trying to land big names in free agency or via trade. 

Kyle Lowry is still playing at a high-level, but is now 34-years old and will be 35-years old by mid-season. The Raptors just locked down guard Fred VanVleet for years to come with a four-year, $85M contract. When looking at this roster, they are definitely a playoff team in the East, but do they have enough to be legit title contenders in the NBA?

Every championship contender in the NBA is adding superstar caliber talent and pairing All-Stars up with each other, but when you look at the Raptors, Siakam and Lowry do not compare to the likes of other All-Star combos. Adding James Harden to this Houston Rockets roster would make them legit threats to be the top-seed in the Eastern Conference.

President of Basketball operations Masai Ujiri is always looking to make moves that put the Raptors in a great position for success and adding Harden would do just that. The biggest question is what would it cost Toronto in the long-run? Along with draft picks, the Raptors would likely have to move either Lowry or VanVleet to make room for Harden’s massive contract. 

Pairing James Harden up with Pascal Siakam for years to come not only keeps the Raptors at the top of the Eastern Conference, but gives them stability with Lowry near the back-half of his career. Harden is still in his prime and wants to join a championship contender, which is why Toronto would make sense. If they are willing to pay the price, the Toronto Raptors would make a move similar to the one they did that ultimately won them a championship.