How the DeMarcus Cousins Trade Could Impact the Toronto Raptors
The Process Strikes Again
Thanks to the moronic leadership of Ranadive and Divac, the Kings will see their first-round pick this season and in 2019 go to the Philadelphia 76ers. Sacramento will receive the worst of the two picks this year, but it’s the 2019 pick that can really impact the Raptors.
More from Tip of the Tower
- Cam Phillips making his mark on Toronto Argonauts offence
- Toronto Argonauts: 4 storylines ahead of matchup against Redblacks
- Federico Bernardeschi ready for new challenge with Toronto FC
- Toronto Argonauts overcome Roughriders in entertaining Touchdown Atlantic
- Buffalo Bills: Von Miller drawing inspiration from Bruce Smith
Without Cousins and Rudy Gay, who is out for the season with an Achilles injury, the Kings should plummet in the standings, which only helps the 76ers. On top of that, what free agent is going to want to sign in Sac-town after this debacle with Cousins? Probably no one, so how does this team improve by 2019?
Unless they miraculously strike gold on their draft picks, the Kings will likely still be terrible by then, which means Philadelphia will have another lottery pick at their disposal. Add that to their list of assets which includes Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, the Kings’ 2017 first-round pick, the Lakers’ 2017 first-round pick if it lands outside the top three, and their own picks, and you can see how things are shaping up nicely for Philly.
Sam Hinkie may no longer be in charge of the 76ers, but the ghost of Hinkie is wreaking havoc. For the Raptors, their stranglehold on the Atlantic division is slowly becoming weaker. Boston is already a contender and Philadelphia doesn’t look to be too far behind.
Next: Raptors Two-Man Game: All-Star Weekend Questions
Ultimately, the ramifications from this Cousins trade impacts the Raptors’ future outlook more than their short-term outlook, particularly in the way it improves the teams in their division, but if we see teams around the Raptors improve by adding Barnes or Evans, we can thank the Kings and their horrific decision making for that.