Top 3 Raptors team needs ahead of 2023 NBA trade deadline

The Toronto Raptors are sliding down the Eastern Conference standings at the moment, putting them as close to the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes as they are to a top-six seed. Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse know that this roster is incredibly flawed right now.

The Raptors need to be active at the trade deadline, going out of their way to engage teams on potential trades. Toronto is running out of time to plug these holes, as their current way of playing is so ineffective that they may have no choice but to waive the white flag.

The Raptors don’t seem like a team that is going to go into fire sale mode, so they need to figure out a trade that will both make sure they can improve in the short and long term without completely ditching their core group of stars. This is a very perilous set of weeks that Ujiri needs to nail.

Ujiri’s team has some very pressing needs that need to be filled with either a huge trade or multiple less bombastic moves. These three holes on the roster are so dire that Toronto could fall off the face of the NBA map if they aren’t addressed in a timely way.

Top 3 Toronto Raptors team needs.

3. Perimeter defense

While Nurse has acknowledged that there are some constraints with Toronto’s preferred style of play, the fact that Toronto’s defense is underperforming this season is as clear as day. During their six-game losing streak, Toronto was allowing just over 116 points per game.

Any acquisition the Raptors make needs to be scrutinized from a defensive point of view. As teams have proven time and time again during Toronto’s recent stretch of futility, one player serving as a weak link can be enough for the Raptors’ unique scheme to crumble.

The Toronto Raptors may need to add defenders.

Getting Precious Achiuwa back soon will be a boost for this team, as he is the team’s best post-defender and a quality rebounder. However, that alone will not be enough to get Toronto back to respectability. Trading for a defensive liability would go against Ujiri’s usual Modus Operandi.

Once Achiuwa and Otto Porter Jr. come back into the lineup, the defense should improve. However, the Raptors might need one more big name to make this unit more complete and effective. If that addition comes via a trade, Toronto might take a massive leap up the standings.