Raptors: Nets tried to pull off Fred VanVleet for Spencer Dinwiddie trade

Despite the fact that the Toronto Raptors have both Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet on the roster, the Brooklyn Nets made the first big trade deadline splash. Kyrie Irving was nominally shipped off to the Dallas Mavericks in a move that sent shockwaves around the league.

The Irving trade has not been made official yet, as the Nets are reportedly trying to get a third team involved. The team in question has been identified as the Toronto Raptors, who could acquire Dinwiddie and a collection of draft picks in exchange for VanVleet.

According to Marc Stein, the Nets are interested in acquiring Siakam via trade. The main problem with that desire, however, is the fact that Toronto may not be willing to surrender him. The VanVleet trade, however, appears to remain on the table as Brooklyn looks to regroup.

The Raptors could use a point guard to fill VanVleet’s shoes, and the 6-5 Dinwiddie is under contract for one more season. After missing out on him in free agency, there is a chance that he ends up back in Toronto. VanVleet, meanwhile, would head to a no-doubt contender.

UPDATE: Per Shams Charania, the deal has been finalized. Dinwiddie is going to Brooklyn, and VanVleet is staying.

Toronto Raptors: Fred VanVleet almost traded for Spencer Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie is averaging 17.7 points and 5.3 assists per game while nailing over 40% of his 3-pointers. The recent uptick in shooting is a very nice surprise, as he is a career 33% shooter from beyond the arc. Still just 29 years old, Dinwiddie has plenty of quality basketball in his windshield.

VanVleet started the season off in extremely poor form, but he has since turned things around and looked more like the All-Star sniper and leader fans remember from last year. He isn’t as good as Irving, but he can provide a decent enough facsimile of his game.

Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer mentioned the fact that the Raptors had an interest in Ben Simmons before his move to Brooklyn or standout big man Nic Claxton prior to last year’s trade deadline. However, it is unlikely either of them gets traded from a win-now team.

At the end of the day, Toronto wasn’t able to nab Dinwiddie. That doesn’t mean they will be totally done with talking to Marks in the short-term, however.