I think a good chunk of basketball fans enjoy the madness that is trade deadline season a lot more than they enjoy actual hoops... and hey, I'm all here for it.
Trades can shake up the league and make things a whole lot more interesting. A prime example, the game-changing Luka Doncic trade, showed enough to prove a mind-blowing basketball transaction can get the world talking.
That Doncic trade set the tone for a very eventful trade deadline, and there's a strong case that the 2025 iteration surpasses any other year by a mile. Big-time moves left and right, and no shortage of stars, role players, and young guns finding NBA homes in new spots. For the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri, Bobby Webster, and company did not shy away from the deadline hoopla, instead making some very important business decisions.
That's what we're here to analyze in a recap of all the Raptors' movements at the 2025 NBA trade deadline. We'll look at the positives, the negatives, and, if there are any, the unattractive elements of their deadline deals going forward.
The Good
For a small and largely unappealing NBA franchise like the Toronto Raptors, the chance to gain or acquire a star's services is extremely slim. Look at Raptors history: all of their stars, once upon a time, either came from a draft (Vince Carter, DeMar DeRozan, Scottie Barnes), a big-swing trade where they blossomed into major players (Kyle Lowry), or, in one specific case, a blockbuster trade that ultimately paid off (Kawhi Leonard).
It's not that Toronto is a poorly run franchise or anything, but try selling American players on the idea of moving countries, where the main thoughts at hand are taxes, a weak Canadian dollar, and the brisk, harsh Canadian winters.
So, anytime you have a player like Brandon Ingram, a fringe All-Star caliber talent, who Bobby Webster said "wants to be here in Toronto," that's always a good thing. Say what you want about the fit being wonky, the injury concerns, or his upcoming contract extension - Ingram's arrival, on paper, gets a thumbs up.
Ingram's career stats tell a tale of a quality NBA player who might be getting forgotten in the midst of an ever-growing, star-studded league: 19.5 points on 46.8% shooting from the field and 36.3% from three, along with 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
Moreover, the fact that Toronto cleared up rotation minutes for the young guys (Ja'Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead, Jamison Battle) by shipping out veterans Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown shows their desire to elevate expected contributors for the future.
The Bad
Shifting gears from being positive, we need to assess the 'bad' of this year's deadline for the Toronto Raptors. For starters, it's essential to note that these moves aren't necessarily detrimental for Toronto's future per se, but they certainly highlight a loss of assets or value in order to conduct transactions like the Brandon Ingram deal. It's a sacrifice for the greater good, if you will.
Right off the bat, there was the draft capital being sent out in the Ingram deal: a protected first-round pick in 2026 that came via Indiana in the Pascal Siakam trade, as well as a 2025 second-round pick via Portland. The Raptors' front office should take a bow that they weren't coerced into having to give up any of their own draft capital to acquire Ingram. Nevertheless, for a seemingly rebuilding team, they lose draft assets that could end up being valuable.
But as a wager to add a star, it makes total sense, so it's not terrible by any means.
Losing Davion Mitchell also hurts the Raptors, since he was instrumental in their strong January stretch, during which Toronto turned a new leaf on the defensive end and went on an impressive run.
The Raptors hope to find the same level of hustle and defensive tenacity now with rookie Jamal Shead in the spotlight, but Mitchell's departure still leaves a hole in Toronto. He appeared to be a great team chemistry guy, and many had wonderful things to say about his stand-up character.
The... Ugly?
Now, I know the word "ugly" is pretty loaded, but you get the idea I was going for in this list. I think if anything will come back to bite the Toronto Raptors where it hurts most, given their 2025 trade deadline endeavors, it's that the team could get very expensive, very fast. They better hope that going all-in on a high-cost core will pay off with their desired outcome.
Ingram will be due for a new deal, and who knows what number will be thrown out to keep him in town? That's completely justified, considering Toronto went through the trouble of trading for him anyway. But what about the other players Toronto has on the books?
Immanuel Quickley received a big-time extension, and in all fairness, he hasn't quite lived up to his price tag. Sure, it's not so much an effort issue or a drop-off in play; the guy just has a hard time staying healthy.
RJ Barrett still has a large contract to play through, and I've already considered him to be Toronto's most expendable asset given Ingram's arrival. Meanwhile, Jakob Poeltl received a hefty extension in the 2023 offseason, and we all know Scottie Barnes is the highest-paid player in Raptors history.
When a team goes all-in like this, you think of squads like the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers—real championship-caliber threats right now. Not to say Toronto doesn't have a shot at getting there; there's definitely a pathway where this core works. But another thing to note is the bench needs to be made up of rookies and minimum contract players, which is what Toronto seems to be following.
The Raptors' front office is incredibly optimistic about their young talent, which is great for morale, but keep in mind that the players are still relatively inexperienced. With an expensive starting lineup and a bench comprised of developing talent, does that team realistically make it far in the modern NBA?
It’s not completely horrendous or beyond repair, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.