Title: What can the Raptors do at the trade deadline? A primer on rules and more
Date: February 23, 2021
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I rolled out my annual trade season primer, explaining what the Raptors can and can’t do ahead of the trade deadline.
The Toronto Raptors should go all-in for a superstar. The Toronto Raptors should sell and build for the future. The Toronto Raptors need to do anything they can to add a centre.
It has been a wild two months as the fanbase, and the NBA, figures out exactly who and what the Raptors are this year. A 2-8 start has given way to a 14-7 run that has the Raptors back right around where we expected them, heading up the Eastern Conference’s second tier. They can compete with the top of the conference. They’ve shown that of late, even shorthanded. That almost puts them in a tougher spot deciding whether to buy, sell or hold as they weigh their present against the future and what’s left of their window now against maximizing their window later.
The NBA trade deadline is March 25. We’re getting a very early start on deadline content season, as there have already been several rumblings to address (James Harden before, Andre Drummond recently) and people seem especially transaction-hungry right now. Who can blame them? Transactions rule.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 