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NBA Trade Deadline: What Will Today’s Swaps Mean for the Toronto Raptors?

By Kevin Nimmock

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The 2015 NBA Trade Deadline has come and gone. It was a crazy day around the league, as several major names found new homes. The theme of the day was trades involving three teams. The end result: some teams veered cleanly into the realm of a long-term rebuild and others suited up for a playoff run this year. Let’s look at how today’s many swaps will affect the Toronto Raptors, as the team continues to push towards a high seed in the Eastern Conference.

Particularly, we are concerned with teams in the East, both because of the relative frequency at which they counter the Raptors and the quickly changing playoff picture. The Raptors likely won’t make it to the NBA Finals this year, but they should have a great chance to make a deep push into the playoffs, facing off against some of the East’s best. The team most worth discussing is the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks were very active today, picking up three new players. Canadian point guard Tyler Ennis and big man Miles Plumlee were acquired from the Phoenix Suns for Brandon Knight. Plus, last year’s Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams is heading to Milwaukee in exchange for a 2015 first-round pick (projected 1-5). The Bucks are currently 30-23, but their already decent record should get a lot more impressive.

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In Brandon Knight, the Bucks lose an elite scorer with a bright future in the NBA. Luckily, Carter-Williams offers a very similar appeal. Carter-Williams still has a lot to learn about playing in the Association, but he’s getting there. His ample in-game experience in Philidelphia definitely helped. Plumlee will join a young group of centres in Milwaukee. He  is a talented player with a lot to offer this season and for the foreseeable future. Ennis is another solid point guard contributor of the future. The Bucks made themselves more competitive now and for the next few seasons. They acquired young players with legit NBA skills. Basically, the Bucks just got scary.

Speaking of scary, the Miami Heat picked up the Dragic brothers, Goran and Zoran, from the Phoenix Suns for two first-round picks (2017 and 2021) and a slew of middling talent (Danny Granger, Norris Cole, Shawne Williams and Justin Hamilton). Goran is an elite point guard, and Zoran is well on his way. The Heat are only 22-30 in their first LeBron-less season, but it appears the organization has already turned the page successfully. Now that Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade have an star-caliber point guard to play with, the Heat should rise up the East a bit.

Finally, The Brooklyn Nets probably didn’t get much better, but they did do something quite interesting. The Nets sent Kevin Garnett to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Thaddeus Young. Garnett will get to retire in the city that loves him. He led the Timberwolves to their only eight playoff appearances, earning the MVP nod in 2003/04. Though he is clearly on the decline, he is still a poised and gifted big man with great shooting touch. Garnett is the epitome of playoff-ready confidence. Maybe he will get to return to the playoffs next season.

Many other Eastern Conference teams were involved in deals, but they were more marginal. Overall, the Raptors should still be better than most of their competition. But, some teams, like the Bucks, will be a whole lot trickier. Look out for the implications of today’s trades during the playoffs.

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