[The following submission is from the Toronto Raptors, run by students in the mock deadline practicum at the SBC Las Vegas Immersive.]

Team Members: Vinay K Shah, Kevin Tarpey, Sukhpreet Kooner, Noah Schwartz, Anthony Mauriello, and Carthan Daniel Farrar Jr.

Given our roster, the competition and a championship within reach, we felt the Raptors are obligated to the fans to focus entirely on winning the title.

Our objective was to aggressively pursue a clear superstar to catapult us further into contention. Our starting point to that aim was a roster stocked with positional versatility and almost all our future draft capital available. 

We identified that one of the most critical needs of our team was perimeter shooting. Per Cleaning The Glass, we still ranked 21st in the league for three-point shooting (35.3%). That’s while shooting 40.2 percent last season (5th-best) from the corner three. That flaw with the team was further exposed in the playoffs as we ranked second to last in non-corner three-pointers made (28.9%) of all playoff teams.

The target was obvious, Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets. After a successful negotiation, we got the player at the top of our list without giving up reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes. For us, that was a home run though a costly one with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and draft considerations going out to Brooklyn. Durant is one of the most malleable superstars in the league, in addition to being an elite shooting threat. We believe he’ll give our team better floor balance and spacing for rim attacks.

We also sent draft considerations and the rights to Christian Koloko (No. 33) to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Porter Jr and Garrison Mathews. Though the cost was steep, the basketball fit and upside were too much to pass on. We added Porter’s skill versatility, both as a facilitator (6+ APG last two seasons) and an off-ball wing who drained 38 percent of his three-point attempts. Mathews also fit what we needed most as a scorching 38 percent shooter on non-corner threes last season.

Acquiring Porter in the last season of his rookie-scale deal also provides a form of insurance in case Gary Trent Jr chooses to opt out of his final year to leave as an unrestricted free agent.

Our final significant transaction was locking in Fred VanVleet to a four-year, $114 million extension. VanVleet is a cornerstone piece and a great fit with Durant and Barnes.

By the end of the transaction window, we had added one of the league’s top players. We increased our chances of winning a title while increasing our cap flexibility by getting an additional $6 million below the luxury tax line.

Trade 1

  • Toronto received: Kevin Durant and Day’Ron Sharpe.
  • Brooklyn received: Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, 2023 first-rounder (unprotected), 2025 first-rounder (unprotected), 2027 first-rounder (unprotected) and 2028 first-round swap rights.

Trade 2

  • Toronto received: Kevin Porter Jr and Garrison Mathews.
  • Houston received: 2029 first-rounder (unprotected), 2027 second-rounder, and the draft rights to Christian Koloko.

Other

  • Extended Fred Van Vleet at $114.9 million for four additional years.
  • Signed Eric Bledsoe to a two-year veteran minimum contract, player option on the final season.
  • Waived Armoni Brooks and DJ Wilson.
  • Renounced the rights to Justin Champagnie.

— Vinay K Shah