Raptors blowout win over Suns is a tale of two polar opposite franchise trajectories

Man, this is the Raptors fighting spirit, grit, and determination I've grown to love over the years. You absolutely love to see it.

After the Raptors experienced a disappointing loss to the Miami Heat on February 21, they were gearing up for a crucial game against the Phoenix Suns on February 23. Despite the Suns' struggles being stuck in Western Conference purgatory, their star duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker posed a significant challenge. Alas, no star tandem is too tall a task for this young Raptors squad, which proved their roster could handle things with force and ease, no less.

Now, I think it also boils down to the stars aligning for Toronto on this given night because, my oh my, I don't think I've seen their shooting luck this good in quite some time. The boys seemed like they just couldn't miss.

There was a clear discrepancy in the three-point shooting department, favoring the Raptors by a long shot. Toronto went 20-for-35 (57.1%) on their shots beyond the arc, while Phoenix struggled mightily, going only 7-for-28 (25%).

When you can boast four Raptors players scoring in the twenties, that is 100% a good night for Toronto. The "French BBQ" foursome of Chris Boucher, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Immanuel Quickley stole the show on February 23 with a dominant display.

Raptors dominate Suns in commanding home victory

Now turning things over to the Phoenix Suns: this loss has to sting big time, especially considering they were healthy for this matchup but just couldn't match the spirit of their young opposing squad. You have to think, especially with the constantly churning NBA rumor mill, that Phoenix has a lot of soul-searching to do at the conclusion of this year, because things are going far from what they anticipated.

They bought into this core of Booker, Durant, and the expensive, yet largely ineffective, Bradley Beal, and it really backfired right in their faces. I saw a post not long ago on X that stated if the Suns had just stood pat with the assets they had before getting too hasty in the trade market, their lineup would be Chris Paul, Booker, Toumani Camara (one of the most underrated players in the league, in my opinion), Durant, and Deandre Ayton—a far better outlook than what they have now.

There's a real threat that one of, if not both, Booker and Durant want out of this murky Phoenix franchise in the very near future. I've already considered the prospects of Toronto, particularly Masai Ujiri being his usual trade maestro by throwing the Raptors' name into the hat for a potential star trade this summer. However, given their strong play and recent potential, why should the Raptors break up a core that has yet to fully unlock its best version?

There is still the intrigue of adding Brandon Ingram to this team, so who knows what they could look like at full strength, despite the obvious concern about wonky roster fits alongside players like RJ Barrett. Using Phoenix as the perfect example, Toronto shouldn't necessarily mimic their front office's rash decision to blow up the core in favor of what they perceived to be "win-now" moves, especially when the team already has a strong foundation.

As is always the case in most life settings, patience serves as the key to success, and it pays off for those who play their cards with this in mind. It's so easy to make moves for the sake of doing it, but knowing how the Raptors operate, they're never going to pursue a big splash unless it's truly warranted.

Unfortunately for the Phoenix Suns, I can't say the same. Time will tell in the coming months where these respective NBA journeys will take them next.