The Raptors were very quiet at the trade deadline and didn’t make any significant roster upgrades for the final playoff push. There are several possible reasons for that: Maybe there just was no good deal available that GM Bobby Webster liked, maybe the asking price for a truly impactful player was outrageously high, or maybe the organization never actually believed that the Raptors’ early-season success was sustainable and didn’t want to waste a first-round pick on building out a roster they have no real faith in.
Trading their 2026 first-round pick would have been a sign that the front office fully trusted this current core. They chose not to. As mentioned, there could have been a few reasons for that, but it makes one wonder how much trust the front office really has in the core of Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley, and most of the pieces around it. They might have expected the Raptors’ breakdown and emergence as a middling team weeks ago.
Holding on to that draft pick will look like a good choice if the Raptors continue to struggle
After a somewhat surprising loss to the Pelicans—despite the Raptors’ solid track record of beating teams with worse records than them all season long—the Raptors fell out of the fifth seed they had clung to for so long and dropped into the play-in tournament.
There’s still time for the team to fix that. With 17 games left in the season, the Raptors will have plenty of opportunities to string together some wins and jump back into the top six. They still have an opportunity to win the season series against both the Magic and Heat.
At the same time, however, the Raptors could continue to struggle and drop further in the standings. They are in a slump, as Darko Rajakovic said after the loss to the Pelicans. If that slump continues for too long, they may not be able to fight their way back into the top six or make it out of the play-in tournament. In that case, their first-round pick would become a lot more valuable.
The Raptors have an opportunity to bounce back quickly against the Suns
Phoenix will enter Toronto’s next game fresh off a win over Indiana and with some injuries bothering the team. Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams were both out against the Pacers. Catching the Suns on the second night of a back-to-back also works in the Raptors’ favor.
At 39-27, the Suns have a better record than the Raptors. Beating them would be a great way to bounce back and instill hope that the season isn’t lost quite yet.
It won’t be easy, though. The Raptors have struggled against teams with better records than them all season long, and Scottie Barnes (illness) and Collin Murray-Boyles (thumb) are both questionable for the game.