Raptors have one need to target at trade deadline

The Toronto Raptors are in the final month ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic calls out to his team during the first half against the Boston Celtics. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are a team to watch with a month before the NBA trade deadline.

The team needs a couple of different things if it wants to be at optimal strength for the stretch run of the season, including a three-point shooter. Bleacher Report writer Andy Bailey believes the team will do just that.

"Even when the Toronto Raptors have had all three of Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett on the floor this season, they've been outscored and looked around average offensively," Bailey wrote. "And for the entire season, they're in the bottom third of the league in both threes per game and three-point percentage.

"Flanking that trio with a high-end, consistent floor spacer (something Gradey Dick just hasn't developed into) should be the priority. And if the Milwaukee Bucks do indeed tip off a rebuild, perhaps A.J. Green might be available."

Toronto Raptors guard Gradey Dick and Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Raptors need distance shooting

The Raptors make just over 35 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, which ranks 19th in the NBA. As a team, they only attempt 33.7 shots from deep, which is also closer to the bottom of the league.

The Raptors are hoping to improve those statistics, so adding a shooter could be the way to go for the team. The Raptors have a number of players that could develop into their three-point threat for the future, but it hasn't exactly panned out the way it had hoped for players like Gradey Dick and Ja'Kobe Walter.

Swapping one of those players for a different three-point shooter could be the exact change the team needs to have a breakthrough. Things have been going well for the Raptors, but in order to take that next step, a change will have to be made either from within or on the trade market.

If the Raptors can make this change, perhaps they will go from the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference playoff picture to one of the premier threats in the NBA. With the trade deadline afoot, it's the prime opportunity to make a move.

In the meantime, the Raptors are back in action tonight with a rematch against the Atlanta Hawks, whom they beat in their last matchup over the weekend. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET inside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Fans can watch the game on TSN Sports or stream it on NBA League Pass.