Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently floated out a trade idea that would send Kyrie Irving from the Dallas Mavericks to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Immanuel Quickley, Ja'Kobe Walter and a 2028 first-round pick (top-five protected).
Assuming the Raptors are able to finalize the deal that would send Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers back to Toronto, landing Irving would immediately make the Canadian squad the biggest threat to take down the New York Knicks or Philadelphia 76ers in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference.
At this stage of his career, Toronto might be the best for Irving, though the Raptors’ point-of-attack defense might be a bit compromised with RJ Barrett also in the backcourt.
However, the Raptors have plenty of lockdown defenders to help overcome that potential weakness, with Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles rounding things out.
Leonard and Barnes’s defense on the perimeter will give opposing offenses nightmares, but Barnes’s size and length could also help the Raptors protect the rim and compensate for some of Jakob Poeltl’s weaknesses near the basket.
Murray-Boyles is probably a bit undersized to handle the rigors of protecting the rim against more imposing forces, but Toronto’s perimeter defense should make life easier for Raptors’ interior defenders.
While the Raptors might need to overcome some of Irving’s defensive deficiencies, adding the nine-time All-Star to the mix undoubtedly raises their ceiling on the offensive side of the floor.
Leonard is still capable of carrying an offense with his three-level scoring abilities, but Irving would help break down opposing defenses in ways Leonard cannot, which should help make Leonard more of an off-ball weapon.
Plus, in the modern NBA, it’s never a bad idea to have two elite scorers capable of single-handedly carrying an offense in the same lineup, let alone two who have gotten it done under the bright lights of the playoffs.
One potential downside is that both Irving and Leonard are older and a bit injury-prone at this stage of their careers, but having a tall floor general like Barnes to help orchestrate the offense should help both players get clean looks without having to expend so much energy. Plus, Barrett is there to help pick up some of the scoring slack.
The Mavericks seem intent on keeping Irving in the fold for now, but if they decide to go in a different direction by the trade deadline, the Raptors could end up being a potential trade partner.
