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With the trade deadline approaching, the rumors are about to fly. Here's an interesting nugget from Zach Lowe's column today:
Ross has been coming off the bench since mid-January, and though he can shoot, the rest of his game has stagnated — especially his defense. The Raps are listening to incoming offers on Ross, per several league sources, and a couple of power forwards on borderline playoff teams stand out as intriguing targets: David West and Kevin Garnett.
The Raptors appear to want to upgrade their front court, but of course, with any trade, the question becomes: at what cost. Ross has not taken another step forward in his third season, but he is still, well, in his third season. With DeMar DeRozan, we saw incremental improvements every season to the point now that the's a former All-Star and key contributor to the game.
There's a risk with giving up on someone like Ross, but if the Raptors don't want to commit to Ross for the long-term -- and he (and Jonas Valanciunas) are eligible for an extension this summer -- perhaps it's worth exploring the market now. Even then, Toronto doesn't have to make a decision on Ross until the summer of 2016 when he can hit restricted free agency.
West's contract runs through the 2015-16 season. He will make $12.6 million season.
What does everyone think?