SportsBasketballRaptors

Raptors fans are pushing hard for a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Nov 11 2022, 5:19 pm
Raptors fans are pushing hard for a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

There’s nothing NBA fans (and Toronto Raptors fans, specifically) like more than a little bit of speculation about blockbuster transactions.

Off to the best start of his career, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31.6 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 10 games this season.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, the player often simply known as “SGA” is quickly blossoming into the NBA superstar many have predicted him to be for years now.

Gilgeous-Alexander is the prized possession of a young Thunder team that also features talent such as Lu Dort and Josh Giddey.

Meanwhile, a 2022 draft saw them add the No. 2 pick (albeit currently out for the season) in Chet Holmgren, Peyton Watson, and two talented young players with extremely similar names ā€” Jaylin Williams and Jalen Williams.

But even with the strong performances of Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder sit 13th in the Western Conference with a 4-7 record so far. And while the long-term vision of the Thunder may come to fruition at some point, it’s clear they’re still likely a few years away from being a top-tier NBA squad.

In his fifth NBA season ā€” having never made it out of the first round of the playoffs ā€” the rumours have been swirling that maybe Toronto is the right destination for the budding star.

ā€œYou keep hearing that Shai is frustrated with the losing, and so I think thatā€™s the Toronto thing that weā€™ve all heard about with their interest in Shai this summer,ā€ a front-office executive said to The Athletic’s Sam Amick in an article published Thursday. ā€œBut how far do [the Thunder] want to push this [tanking effort]?ā€

“The Toronto thing that weā€™ve all heard about” is likely a reference to a September article from TSN’s Josh Lewenberg, who wrote in a footnote that the Raptors are “closely monitoring” Gilgeous-Alexander should a sensible trade opportunity ever arise.

Raptors fans, of course, acted totally normal about the whole thing.

Or maybe they’ve just been tweeting about it for weeks ā€” months even ā€” with many of them sharing an old Instagram post from Gilgeous-Alexander on his last visit to the city.

It’s clear that Gilgeous-Alexander has a decent relationship with Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, with the two having worked together this summer as part of the CanadianĀ menā€™s national team.

And any time the two were pictured together, Raptors fans were quick to note that maybe, just maybe, it was a covert recruiting mission.

Of course, any such trade is easier said than done. Gilgeous-Alexander is in the first year of a five-year, $179 million contract, while the Raptors would have to send back a considerable package the other way to make it worthwhile for the Thunder.

The Raptors take on Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder tonight at 8 pm ET. One can only wonder what the tweets will look like during that one.

ADVERTISEMENT