Title: Flexibility remains the key word as Raptors tweak for depth at deadline
Date: February 11, 2022
Original Source: Sportsnet
Synopsis: In my latest at Sportsnet, I looked at the roster, cap, and tax ramifications of the Raptors’ deadline trade.
It wasn’t splashy. In the end, the Toronto Raptors opted to turn Goran Dragic’s expiring contract into a slightly cheaper veteran who will actually — we think — be in the same city as the team moving forward. Thaddeus Young, long perceived to be an ideal stylistic and culture fit, is in, bolstering the team’s depth without really addressing any of their core weaknesses, now or in the longer-term.
It’s the longer-term that won out. While it’s safe to say there were other players available for the particular assets the Raptors had at their disposal, a desire to maintain financial flexibility and an appreciation for Young landed them here. A Derrick White, for example, carried a much longer financial commitment that would threaten the team’s agility into a 2023 summer where Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr. can both opt out of their current contracts.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 