I begin chapter 2 of my fake trade series in memoriam of Demarcus Cousins. 

In chapter 1 of my fake trade series, I whipped up a wild 3-team trade with Atlanta that netted us one Boogie, and one Marco Belinelli.

A couple things have happened since then;

• DMC is done for the season.
• JV has gotten ... better? (Yes he has)

It’s safe to say that chapter 1 will not become a reality. Best wishes to the Pelicans and I hope for a healthy recovery for my favorite big-man to watch in the NBA.

On to Chapter 2.

Pasta Needs a New Face

“Just one moa’ piece Matty. If the Raptas’ could jus' get one moa’ veteran guy to bring off the bench, just one moa’ weapon fo’ Casey to use, that’s what they-a missin’.”

That was my best impression of Jack Armstrong from a few nights ago. It made me think. Despite my undeniable affection for our Lovable Bench Mob, we could benefit tenfold from another weapon to rain shots from the perimeter.

Undeniably, this piece carries much less vigor than Chapter 1. We’re looking to get value, and we’re looking for a veteran wing shooter to roll the dice with - not a superstar.

So I guess the first question is, why?

CJ Miles - Despite being 8th in MPG (for the Raptors), Miles is 2nd in 3PA per game with 6.3 - trailing only Lowry. He’s hitting at a 37.3% clip from deep, which is respectable for a volume shooter. Unfortunately, too many nights his three-point ability can be unpredictable, which leads us to pursue another weapon.

Norman Powell - 2.8 three-point attempts per game, 28.6% shooting from deep. Enough said.

Delon Wright - He isn’t necessarily a big threat from deep, but he’ll throw up about 2 threes a game (2.1). He knocks them down at a 37.5% mark, so if we’re desperate for a three, it would be nice to have a more sure-fire weapon to use (possibly next to CJ).

Fred VanVleet - Shooting 39.2% from deep on 2.8 attempts a game, which is great - but he’s a pure 6-foot point-guard. Although I love when he shares the floor with Lowry, his impressive play doesn’t truly factor into us needing another wing/shooter off the bench.

Simply put, we just need another weapon, and at the right price. We need to find someone in a situation where we could get them for cheap, and would be able to benefit Toronto immediately. Let’s scan the league for some potential candidates.

Atlanta

Marco Belinelli (1-year, 6-Million PER YEAR)

Luke Babbitt (1-year, 1.4-Million)

Brooklyn

Nik Stauskas (1-year, 1.5-Million)

Joe Harris (1-year, 1.5-Million)

Charlotte

Jeremy Lamb (2-year, 7-Million)

Chicago

Paul Zipser (3-year, 1.3-Million)

Denver

Richard Jefferson (1-year, 1.4-Million)

Milwaukee

Mirza Teletovic (2-year, 10.5-Million)

Jason Terry (1-year, 1.4-Million)

New Orleans

E’Twaun Moore (3-year, 8.4-Million)

Phoenix

Troy Daniels (2-year, 3.4-Million)

Kings

Garrett Temple (2-year, 8-Million)

Jazz

Rodney Hood (1-year, 2.4-Million)

Joe Johnson (1-year, 10.5-Million)

My small list of potential candidates quickly expanded to 14 players, and I tried my best to be selective.

To narrow down my list, I set some filters. Most importantly, it had to be a veteran on a non-playoff team. Why wouldn’t they take a second rounder to unload a veteran who isn’t a part of their future?

The Verdict

After painfully toiling through lists of possible options, I came to my final decision. (As you probably guessed from the title) Marco Belinelli makes the best fit for the Toronto Raptors through a roster sense, and from an economic sense.

Marco Belinelli

• 31 years old.
• Expiring deal.
• Atlanta Hawks less than a 0.1% chance of making the playoffs (via ESPN power index).
• 23.4 MPG, 4.7 threes attempted a game at 37.1% from three. A career 37.7% three-point shooter.

Simply put, we’re getting the most bang for our buck here. Although I think we could get guys like Jason Terry or Richard Jefferson for cheap, they won’t have the impact that Marco could have due to their respective ages and deteriorated ability.

The Hawks aren’t making the playoffs. As I mentioned, they probably wouldn’t say no to a second-round flier. Might as well get something for Marco while you can.

But how would this negotiation go?

The Nitty Gritty

As much as I'd love to, we can’t just flip a second-rounder for Marco. He’s on a $6-million dollar deal and (as we know) the Raps’ are significantly over the cap (roughly $18 million).

Here is a list of players we could offer 1 for 1:

• CJ Miles

That’s it. And even if the Hawks took it, it wouldn’t make a ton of sense; patching up another hole with the same bandage.

We have so many good pieces on fantastic deals, and we can’t afford to ship them out for a Belinelli rental. But what if we gave them a pair of fliers?

Atlanta Receives: Bruno Caboclo (1-year, $2.4-million), Lucas Nogueira (1-year, $2.9-million)

Toronto Receives: Marco Belinelli (1-year, $6-million)

To play devil’s advocate for myself, I’d probably say something like -

“Why on earth would Atlanta want Bruno, a 22-year-old wing who isn’t even NBA ready, and hasn’t been for the past four years?! Plus, they’re both on expiring deals.”

My answer? Why not. Unless another team offers something that Atlanta deems superior, why not flip your expiring vet for a chance to grab a pair of young guys who you could lock up this offseason?

I mean, seriously, there’s not going to be a significant bidding war for either of the two Brazilians, but what if you can keep them under wraps until next season? What if you thought you could turn them into something beneficial long term?

If I’m Atlanta, I’d send this to all other teams and say - “Hey, Toronto sent us this. If you can do better send it our way.” … Then I’d wait until the final second before the trade deadline to pull the trigger, unless all other teams responded with a quick - “Nope, not interested.”

(side note - Hawks would probably push Masai for a second-rounder slapped onto this.)

But hey, what’s a chapter of the fake trade series without some multi-team deals?

Zany Theoreticals

#1

Toronto Receives: Marco Belinelli (1-year, $6.1-million)

Atlanta Receives: Solomon Hill (3-year, $12-million [yuck], Alexis Ajinca (2-year, $5-million), Lucas Nogueira (1-year, $2.9-million), NOP 2018 first round pick (top-10 protected)

New Orleans Receives: Kent Bazemore (3-year, $16.9-Million), Bruno Caboclo (1-year, $2.5-million)

Toronto gets Marco and still deals out the two Brazilians. Atlanta takes on a pair of bad deals for a young centre and a first-rounder. Pelicans get a starting small-forward who lines up with their window (kind of).

#2

Toronto Receives: Marco Belinelli (1-year, $6.1-million)

Atlanta Receives: Ian Mahinmi (3-year, $16.7-million), Lucas Nogueira (1-year, $2.9-million), Washington 2018 first-rounder (top-15 protected), Toronto 2019 second-rounder.

Washington Receives: Dewayne Dedmon (2-year, $6-million), Malcolm Delaney (1-year, $2.5-million), Bruno Caboclo (1-year, $2.5-million)

We still get Marco, but have to deal out our 2019 second. Atlanta takes on Mahinmi’s bad deal and deals out Dedmon for a 1st, a second, and a flier on Bebe. Washington upgrades from Mahinmi to Dedmon, saves a ton of money and grabs a couple of young guys who they could take a chance on - but at the cost of a pick.

#3

Toronto Receives: Marco Belinelli

Atlanta Receives: Iman Shumpert (2-year, $10.3-Million), Bruno Caboclo (1-year, $2.5-Million), Ante Zizic (4-year, $1.6-Million), Cleveland 2018 first round pick (unprotected), Toronto 2019 second round pick (unprotected)

Cleveland Receives: Ersan Ilyasova (1-year, $6-Million), Lucas Nogueira (1-year, $2.9-Million)

We still get Belinelli. Atlanta takes on Shumpert’s bad deal, while dealing out two expiring vets. In return, they get Bruno, four years to make something out of Zizic, Cleveland’s unprotected first and Toronto’s second for 2019. For Cleveland, they get a veteran shooter to come off the bench (and perhaps ease the load for Love), along with a 7-footer that could be a rim-protector right away.

Cleveland already has the Brooklyn pick for the 2018 draft, so their own pick (most likely in the 24-30 range) is expendable. They deal out Shumpert (freeing room for this summer) and grab a couple of expirings who could have an instant impact.

Okay, one more.

#4

Toronto Receives: Marco Belinelli (1-year, $6.1-Million)

Atlanta Receives: Lucas Nogueira (1-year, $2.9-Million), Bruno Caboclo (1-year, $2.5-Million)

Dallas Receives: Miles Plumlee (3-year, $12.5-Million), (from Atlanta) Minnesota’s 2018 first round pick (top 15 protected).

Belinelli, again, is ours. Atlanta unloads Plumlee, freeing up $12.5 million for the next three years, while also grabbing Bebe. Dallas accepts the burden of Plumlee thanks to Atlanta shipping over Minnesota’s 2018 first rounder. They get their hands on Bruno, because honestly, you’re Dallas. Why not?

Belinelli, Come Home

Belinelli had a short stint with the Raps’ in 2009-2010 after we nabbed him from Golden State. Rookie year excluded, it was his worst year from a numbers standpoint. I mean, he wasn’t even the best Italian on the team (but I’m sure people would still argue otherwise).

The Raps had the 5th best offense that year, but owned the absolute worst defense. They finished 40-42, barely missing out on the 8th seed.

The Raptors have changed immensely since then. Not only are they exponentially better, but they’ve established a culture. Belinelli is an NBA Champion who actually contributed to his team’s success. This kind of experience on a contending team can be invaluable.

He’s carved out an 11-year career with 8 different teams by hitting shots, playing smart, and working within an offense. Now he brings the veteran savvy with him.

“Just one moa’ piece Matty. If the Raptors’ could just get one moa’ veteran guy to bring off the bench, just one moa’ weapon fo’ Casey to use, that’s what they-a missin’.”

Belinelli would be that piece.