Raptors Trade Deadline Silence is Louder Than Any Move

The Toronto Raptors made their intentions clear after the trade deadline.

Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley dribbles past Chicago Bulls guard Anfernee Simons. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are moving past the trade deadline with a lot of confidence in their roster to compete in the playoffs this spring.

Despite being viewed as a big-time buyer for the deadline, especially at the centre position, the team opted for smaller moves to get under the tax and keep continuity within the roster as much as possible. The Raptors only swapped out one player for the team sending Ochai Agbaji to the Brooklyn Nets and bringing Trayce Jackson-Davis on board from the Golden State Warriors.

Chris Paul was acquired in the trade involving Agbaji, but he is expected to be waived or bought out by the Raptors. General manager Bobby Webster explained how the team wanted to keep the core together as much as possible.

"We're gonna have to win at the highest level," Webster said via Sportsnet reporter Michael Grange.

"We're gonna have to win down the stretch here and make it to the playoffs. We have to win in the playoffs. And I think that's what we wanted to do with this group, is see what this group can do. (We’re in) the last third of the season, hopefully make some noise in the post-season, and then we can sort of collect ourselves at the end of the year.”

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram holds the ball from Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Raptors Confident Heading Into Stretch Run

After winning 123-107 against the Chicago Bulls, the Raptors officially have won more games this season than they did last year, showing progress in their development. While there have been some negatives along the way, the overall progress and support for the team have been very positive.

The Raptors have earned their right to compete in the playoffs with their core intact. The team hasn't seen a playoff run before, so the Raptors will treat this year as a litmus test to determine what they need to go out and get in the offseason.

This doesn't mean the Raptors won't compete for a championship. They currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, which is around where the Indiana Pacers were when they made a run all the way to the NBA Finals last year. There's reason to believe that the Raptors can compete with any team in a wide-open Eastern Conference. They just have to go out and prove themselves.

With the trade deadline now behind them, they can take away that anxiety and move forward as a unit.