By: Adamo Marinelli
March 27, 2021
In one of the most highly anticipated trade deadlines for the Toronto Raptors, all fans were left shocked by the results of it.
The Raptors had an 18-26 record entering free agency and had lost nine of their last 10 games.
This team looked utterly defeated and rumours of an overhaul were getting louder. There were rumors that the Raptors - at the right price - would move on from Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell, two of the best players on the team this season.
There were also rumors that the Raptors would go after a true center, after playing the first half or more of the season without one.
The Raptors were surprisingly busy at the trade deadline, but not exactly in all the ways we expected.
The Raptors did trade SG Norman Powell - who has been playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 19.7 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, 1.8 assists per game, has been shooting lights out from the field and from three, and has been very good defensively - to the Portland Trail Blazers for SG Gary Trent Jr., who is a young talent who can shoot the ball well and play good defense and SF Rodney Hood who can be a veteran mentor to the young guys on the team.
I think it was a good move to sell high on Norman Powell, especially when he is playing the best ball of his career as a starter, but I do believe the Raptors could have gotten more for Powell. They probably could have gotten a first-round pick or a few second-round picks for Powell.
Powell was under contract until the end of the 2022 season, however, I worry the Raptors might have gotten even less for Powell at next year’s trade deadline, especially if his play drops off, which is a possibility. And I do not want Powell to leave in free agency next season for nothing, so the deal wasn’t all bad.
For the Blazers, Powell will be a great addition to a very talented core of Damien Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, etc. They should be able to make an extended run in the playoffs, sitting at sixth place in the western conference.
In terms of a grade, I give the Raptors a B+. They sold high on Powell and got a young piece to add to their core of Fred Van Vleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby, and a crafty veteran but could have gotten a few draft picks for Powell too.
The second move they made was trading guard Matt Thomas to the Utah Jazz for a future second-round pick.
I did not expect Thomas to be traded, however, Head Coach Nick Nurse has not played Thomas a lot this season and that has led to underwhelming stats for Thomas. He has only played in 26 games this year, for most of those games, he only played in garbage time, which explains the 2.6 points per game, 0.8 rebounds per game, and 0.3 assists per game.
Unfortunately, for the Raptors, they are losing out on Thomas’ excellent three-point shooting ability but his defense was not up to standard for Nick Nurse, which resulted in limited playtime.
For the Jazz, Thomas coming off the bench could provide a boost to the Jazz’s team shooting ability which will help the Jazz continue to dominate the Western Conference.
For the Raptors, a future second-round pick in return for Thomas is a good return considering he only has two years of NBA experience and for someone who unfortunately gets little playing time. This trade gets a B.
The third trade the Raptors made was trading guard Terrence Davis to the Sacramento Kings for a future second-round pick.
Terrence Davis has the potential to be an all-star in the NBA but with his inconsistent performance last season and the criminal charges he faced at the beginning of the season, it was only a matter of time before the Raptors traded Davis.
For a youngster who has only two years of NBA experience, acquiring a draft pick is a good return especially if you are on the outside of the playoffs looking in, like the Raptors who are in the midst of a minor rebuild.
Davis is coming off the bench like Thomas but is receiving more playing time than Thomas and his stats are not much better. He is averaging 6.9 points per game, 1.9 rebounds per game, and 1.1 assists per game this season, while shooting 41% from the field and 36% from three, a downgrade from last season.
The Raptors get a second-round pick to help with their rebuild and to build a better team in the future and the KIngs get a guard who has the potential to be an all-star but who is inconsistent at times.
Now, the trade that didn’t happen. The Raptors did not end up trading Kyle Lowry at the deadline and the best Raptor of all time is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
According to ESPN NBA analyst Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors did not trade Lowry because they could not find a deal that compelled them to move on from Lowry.
In other words, teams did not trade for Lowry because teams were underpaying for him: they weren’t willing to give the Raptors what they thought Lowry was worth.
And to be honest, I am glad the Raptors did not sell Lowry for less than what he is worth because he is quite possibly the best Raptor of all time. The Raptors can’t disrespect Lowry by trading him for peanuts.
Part of the reason teams were not willing to buy high on Lowry, despite the fact he is playing amazing basketball, even at age 35, is because he is a free agent at the end of the season, and given his high salary expectations, teams were unsure if they had the budget to sign him long term.
For the Raptors, given their lackluster record at this time and how the Bulls who are 10th place in the East (one spot ahead of the Raptors at 11th in the East) jumped through hoops to improve their roster at the trade deadline, I think it would be in the Raptors’ best interest to tank the rest of the season and get a lottery pick to fill their needs (either for a pure center or someone who can create their own shots). This will be better for the Raptors in the long term.
