Data point (small sample size) for you: I'm in Colorado this week and talked to a Nuggets fan who thinks the Raptors can win 50 games this year as-is. So it's not necessarily pure homerism to see this team being potentially a second-tier, get-to-the-ECF-and-see-what-happens team.
I don't that having 50-win potential is enough to prevent mid-season player movement from happening, however. It probably *does* makes it difficult to tank effectively, short of anything less drastic than the Beal/Wall+picks for Kyle/Serge/Marc nuclear option. Accordingly, I am expecting at least one, possibly two trades which are retooling trades rather than all-picks-and-prospect trades. For example, if Kyle asks to be traded to Philly (who would benefit tremendously from his play as currently constructed) and we find a way to oblige them, I think our next move would be to try to swing a trade with GSW built upon Serge going out and DeAngelo Russell going in. That move is definitely not a tear-down move.
I don't that having 50-win potential is enough to prevent mid-season player movement from happening, however. It probably *does* makes it difficult to tank effectively, short of anything less drastic than the Beal/Wall+picks for Kyle/Serge/Marc nuclear option. Accordingly, I am expecting at least one, possibly two trades which are retooling trades rather than all-picks-and-prospect trades. For example, if Kyle asks to be traded to Philly (who would benefit tremendously from his play as currently constructed) and we find a way to oblige them, I think our next move would be to try to swing a trade with GSW built upon Serge going out and DeAngelo Russell going in. That move is definitely not a tear-down move.
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