How the Heat’s trade for Andre Iguodala affects the Toronto Raptors

What it means to the Toronto Raptors

Short term, if Iguodala is still able to play, this move could cause the Raptors a fair amount of problems. The Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors have faced off two times this season, with the Heat boasting a 2-0 record in those games.

The Raptors shooting numbers in those games are not pretty viewing. In the first game, when the Heat won in overtime, they held the Raptors to 38-percent from the field and 25-percent from three.

The second game was, arguably, one of the ugliest games of basketball in, well, forever. The Heat walked away 84-76 winners and held the Raptors to 34-percent shooting from the field and 14-percent from deep. To say the Heat have the Raptors number defensively would be an understatement.

Add a full of energy Iguodala with a lot of bounce left in him and that’s a problem for the rest of the East. Alone, he’s not enough to really carry a team far at all – he’s a role player at this point of his career – but paired with the likes of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo and you have a problem.

The Raptors and Heat will meet just once more before the playoffs in the penultimate game of the regular season and that’ll be the first time Iguodala faces off against the new-look Raptors squad. By that point, the race for the second seed could be wrapped up, but there’s also a chance that there is everything still to play for.

As it stands, that second seed in the Eastern Conference is a coveted position. It means the holder will likely face off against the Brooklyn Nets or Orlando Magic – or potentially a different late runner – in the first round and that they won’t see the all-conquering Milwaukee Bucks until the Eastern Conference Finals, should they make it.

If the two meet in the playoffs, Iguodala’s reputation as a lockdown defender will likely make matters worse for the Raptors, should he be on his game, as the Heat looks to progress to the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2013-14 NBA season.

Having another superb defender like Iguodala is another body to throw at Pascal Siakam, who is yet to prove that he can be the first scoring option in the playoffs. It’s likely that he can make the jump, just as we’ve seen him do this season, but the playoffs are a different beast.

As before mentioned, the team option on Iggy’s contract gives the Heat flexibility heading into free agency and if they feel like they have a shot at a superstar, then you can bet Pat Riley will throw his hat into the ring.

For the Raptors, that poses a potential issue too. Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster have built this team with 2021 in mind, and if a free agent destination like the Heat becomes available, while they’re winning, then it’s another team that could get in the way of a master plan.

From now on, though, it becomes a guessing game until we see Iguodala in action. Who knows what will happen after that.