Buy or sell on latest batch of Toronto Raptors trade rumors
By Mike Luciano
2. Teams expecting “fireworks?”
As reported by Zach Lowe in his “10 Things” column, executives around the league are expecting the Raptors to set off “fireworks” if the team does not start winning games before the trade deadline. This is in line with what Ujiri has typically expected from his teams over the last few years.
Ujiri is not a fan of just sneaking into the play-in tournament, seemingly favoring either bottoming out or making moves that take the squad closer to contention. With so many players on the team in their prime, the Raptors would be foolish to waste such a promising roster.
Will Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors make big trades?
The Raptors may have taken baby steps to fix their height issues by drafting Christian Koloko, but Toronto is still lacking in guard depth and 3-point shooting. These issues are exacerbated by the fact that the Raptors’ insistence on playing such an aggressive, breakneck style of basketball that tires out their players.
Toronto will assuredly not have the same combination of 17 players when the deadline passes. If they don’t end up winning with the core as it is currently constructed, it should shock absolutely no one if the Raptors end up swapping out parts of their bench and/or one starter to improve.
Verdict: Buy