Kevin Durant trade should make Raptors smell blood in the water on deadline day

The Toronto Raptors held the title of “biggest trade deadline move” for a whole five minutes before the Brooklyn Nets decided to saunter on over and change the face of the entire league. After Jakob Poeltl was sent to Toronto from the San Antonio Spurs, Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns.

Durant was traded in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four unprotected first-round picks starting in 2023 and alternating every other year. The Nets may be ahead of the Raptors in the standings, but they don’t have nearly the bite they had a week ago.

The Raptors are likely not done making deals after the Poeltl move. In a strange twist of fate, the idea of Toronto buying, or at the very least quickly retooling to attempt to win games in 2023, has more validity than it did with Durant in Brooklyn.

This aggression can manifest in one of two ways. Toronto can either engage with Brooklyn and try to pick up some of the excess 3-and-D wings frok their superstar-less roster or try to aggressively shop one of their starters and let this new-look roster climb up the standings.

The Toronto Raptors must be aggressive after Kevin Durant trade.

The Poeltl trade signifies, at least to some degree, that Ujiri is not going to waive the white flag on competing for this year or the next. With the first-round pick only protected 1-6 next year, Toronto is either going all-in on this current core or getting more picks back in another trade that helps them retool. Either way, the Nets likely aren’t seen as a threat.

Brooklyn seems to be making their own version of Vision 6-9 at Barclays Center. Where as the Raptors went all-in on power forwards, Brooklyn has about five or six high-end 3-and-D wings, including Bridges. There is no way all of them will remain on the roster.

Ujiri’s latest moves seem to suggest that he is going to do everything to maximize Pascal Siakam’s prime before it becomes time to pay both him and Scottie Barnes. With no Durant looming over their heads and the Western Conference arms race about to kick off, Ujiri can’t just sit on his hands and do nothing.

The Poeltl move, should he re-sign with the team, helps the Raptors fill one of their biggest needs. If they can be active enough in the trade market when it comes to filling their other needs and replenishing picks, Toronto can be contending again in no time.