[Grange] It’s widely believed the New York Knicks are the team that is prepared to offer three future first-round picks for Anunoby... Teams such as Memphis and New Orleans have more attractive draft capital and better talent to deal. Denver could be a dark horse too.

On Monday night in Phoenix, you could see the wheels turning. The Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls each had senior members of their pro scouting staff on hand. A clip from Arizona Sports made the rounds on social media of Raptors president Masai Ujiri heading down the tunnel in the company of Phoenix Suns general manager James Jones. Suns-Raptors trade scenarios were bolstered.

The Raptors' director of global scouting, Patrick Engelbrecht, was at the game, along with Ujiri, general manager Bobby Webster and vice-president of basketball operations Therese Resch. It’s unusual that many of the Raptors' top staff to be in one place at one time.

Some version of the same scene have played out at all four of the stops on the Raptors' road trip. It’s not hard to construct deals that would be of interest to Sacramento, Golden State and Portland – all organizations that are on good terms with the Raptors' front office. A similar scenario will likely unfold again Wednesday night in Salt Lake City as the Raptors visit the Utah Jazz, another team that’s expected to be active at the trade deadline.

Ayton has his fans in the organization, certainly, but enough to make a big swing?

One of the main themes is that the Raptors likely won’t be able to move forward long-term with all four of their core pieces, defined as Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby and Scottie Barnes. The reasons are financial – paying them all this year or next will put the Raptors on the path to the luxury tax, which is bad business for a team that was out in the first round last year and is idling in 12th place after 52 games this season.

Where does Gary Trent Jr. fit? The Raptors are more than open to keeping the fifth-year guard who fits the role of a floor-spreader and instant offence microwave, and those with knowledge of his thoughts assert that there’s mutual interest of staying in Toronto. Price will be the issue.

According to league sources, Trent could expect a deal in the $20-million range if he opts out of the last year of his contract, which is set to pay him $18.8 million next season. In other words, the idea of a Jordan Poole or Tyler Herro-like payday – two young scorers with comparable statistical profiles as Trent Jr. who scored extensions with their own teams in the $30-million per season range -- may not be readily available in free agency.

Meanwhile, league sources peg Trent Jr.’s likely trade value at a protected first-round or two good second-round picks, along with a matching salary. From the Raptors' point of view, the likelihood of improving your team by moving on from a 24-year-old who has proven himself as a quality perimeter shooter is relatively low. If Trent Jr. was determined to leave, or the Raptors didn’t believe they could re-sign him in free agency, the story might be different.

It’s just that Toronto doesn’t feel heavy pressure to make a move for fear of losing Trent Jr. for no return as free agency.

A similar line of thinking informs the discussion around VanVleet, although his on-court value and his status as a culture setter going back to the Raptors championship season makes his case different. The belief is that VanVleet wants to remain a Raptor, though fit and familiarity aside, money is a factor there too.

Still, the Los Angeles Clippers are VanVleet fans and have been watching him closely. The fit with the Lakers is pretty simple too.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/who-will-stay-and-who-will-go-a-toronto-raptors-nba-trade-deadline-preview/