The clock is ticking for teams across the league to make their moves, as the 3 p.m. trade deadline fast approaches. But one team that has likely struck out on a significant deal is unfortunately the Toronto Raptors.
The Raptors did complete a deal last night, after suffering a soul-crushing 128-126 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. Toronto acquired Trayce Jackson-Davis from the Golden State Warriors for a 2026 second-round pick (via the Los Angeles Lakers), which was the asset obtained in last year's Davion Mitchell to Miami deadline move.
I'll dig deeper into my thoughts on the TJD trade in a later piece, but while it's certainly a security blanket to help Toronto save money and address their need for size, it's far from a transaction with major playoff or team improvement implications.
And why can't the Toronto Raptors involve themselves in talks for more alluring targets? Well, it all boils down to the contracts that Toronto can't seem to sell accordingly to rival squads. Between Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl, and RJ Barrett (to some extent), we've all heard the chatter for weeks, even months now — that no teams are interested in absorbing their salaries.
Raptors can't make impactful trades due to their unpopular contract situations
That is, unless Toronto is willing to part ways with their draft assets, which, of course, is not something GM Bobby Webster is open to budging on.
In a sense, it seems like the Raptors have cemented themselves as the league's least attractive trade destination. Already, Toronto has this misconceived connotation of being a weak landing spot, seeing as the Raptors are the only non-U.S.-based NBA squad, but their myriad of confusing contracts has locked them into a tight bind. They have the assets to get a deal done in terms of matching salaries, but, like I said, there is next to no leverage on their side. That sentiment couldn't be any clearer than what I reported yesterday regarding the Domantas Sabonis talks stalling.
While the rest of the NBA — both contenders and rebuilding squads alike — are improving across the board, it's rather unfortunate that Toronto is left to sit by the wayside and just watch their competitors improve. For a team with high desires to make the playoffs, it's not even like the Raptors are in much position to achieve a more favorable roster outlook for that crucial stretch.
Toronto look like they'll be relegated to largely staying pat, as a result of their poor financial judgment that has more or less held them against a wall.