How much better can the Raptors really get with their current core? That’s a question Raptors fans are very familiar with by now. Zach Lowe posed it on his podcast not too long ago, and Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz listed “Is the ceiling too low”? as the Raptors’ biggest fear at the moment.
Unless the playoffs prove those concerns wrong, Swartz suggested that the Raptors may have to follow the Houston Rockets’ example and make a big splash in the offseason.
“This roster just screams good, but not great, much like the Houston Rockets of a year ago,” Swartz wrote about the Raptors. “The Rockets recognized this and responded by trading for Kevin Durant. If the Raptors lose in the first round, this could be a franchise to watch for a potential star trade.”
With just nine games left in the regular season and serious doubts about the Raptors’ ability to win a seven-game series against a good team, it seems almost impossible that they will escape a fate similar to what the Rockets experienced last year. The Raptors may not be at the center of a massive seven-team deal like the Rockets were, but all signs point towards them having to take a big swing.
If the Raptors lose in the first round, they will have to answer a lot of questions
The Rockets made it to the 2024-25 playoffs with a young core of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jalen Green, Tari Eason, and Jabari Smith Jr. alongside veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. They lost 3-4 to a more veteran Golden State Warriors team in the first round.
It was the team’s first trip to the playoffs since the 2019-20 season. Knowing that they needed a veteran star to push the team to the next level, the Rockets pulled off a massive deal for Kevin Durant that cost them Green, Brooks, and a number of draft assets.
The Raptors could quickly find themselves in a similar situation: They are close to punching their first playoff ticket with their youngish core, but face a high risk of being eliminated by a more veteran team in the first round. What’s the next step then? Do they try to improve the roster around the edges and see how far Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Immanuel Quickley can go with a better supporting cast or do they go after a veteran star who can turn the team into a potential contender right away?
The Raptors have plenty of trade assets. They own all of their first-round picks through 2032 and their second-round picks from 2027 to 2030. That’s a great basis if you’re looking to pull off a blockbuster trade.
But there are still questions that would need to be answered.
Who is even available, and which star would the Raptors want on their team? Kawhi Leonard was at the center of a recent mock trade for the Raptors, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is still waiting to leave Milwaukee.
Which player(s) would the Raptors be willing to part ways with? Scottie Barnes should be untouchable in trade talks, but what about Ingram, Quickley, Barrett, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Collin Murray-Boyles? Would Walter and Murray-Boyles be untouchable in every scenario?