Raptors Aware of Looming Deadline as Season Reaches 'Must-Win' Territory Before Trades Begin

The Toronto Raptors are aware of the looming trade deadline and understand it's must-win time, says Gary Trent Jr.

Gary Trent Jr. is well aware of where things stand for the Toronto Raptors.

The season is teetering. At 16-21, they're closer to being in the hunt for Victor  Wembanyama and the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft than they are true playoff contenders. And while it's early in the NBA season, not even at the midway point of the year, it's getting closer and closer to decision time.

The Raptors have 19 games before the Feb. 9 trade deadline including six straight at home all of which are winnable games. After this homestand, though, things start to get dicey as the Raptors head out West for a seven-game trip just before the deadline.

"It was a must-win today," Trent said following last week's victory over the Phoenix Suns. "It's been must-wins for us."

It's not quite win-or-go-home, but when it comes to regular season games, it's pretty close. The losses have piled up and it's getting harder and harder to see this traditionally cautious front office making any sort of win-now deal without something seriously changing on the court.

"This is an important stretch," Pascal Siakam said Tuesday following practice. "For us, I don’t care if it’s home or away, we’ve just gotta come in and get some games together where we play well, we play to our identity and we do the things we know we can do well at a high level."

The front office is watching and so too are those around the league. As Sportsnet's Michael Grange reported Wednesday, NBA executives believe the Raptors are going to have to pick a direction before the trade market starts to open up. If Toronto does decide to sell, nobody is better suited to be moved than Trent, the Raptors' surging shooting guard who is widely expected to opt out of his player option this summer.

"It’s part of the game, it’s part of the league," Trent said Wednesday of the rumors that will circle his name over the next month. "I see what everybody posts on social media.

"Whatever happens happens, no matter what the situation is, continue to play professional, continue to do your job to the best of your ability, continue to go out there and be an energy giver instead of a taker."

Despite the rumors, Trent has done nothing but show up for Toronto lately. Since being moved to the bench briefly back on November 28, he's flipped the script on his season. He's averaging 19.9 points per game while shooting 43% from behind the arc over his last 14 games and blossomed into Toronto's second-most reliable scorer of late.

Therein lies the problem for Toronto's front office. On one hand, Trent is exactly the kind of player the Raptors need to win this season and into the future. He's one of the few offensive creators on this team and at 23 years old, there's still plenty of upside for him to grow into a more well-rounded two-way player. On the other hand, though, he'd fit perfectly on just about every team in the league and is therefore expected to command a considerable contract this summer, one that might be a little cost-prohibitive for the Raptors.

And so the clock is ticking on this group and Trent's future in particular. It wasn't all that long ago that the Raptors opted to move Norman Powell away, deciding to take a step back in Tampa as they looked to the future, ironically moving him for Trent back in 2020. There's little doubt trades something similar is coming for this group if things don't change soon.

The league knows it and so do the Raptors.

Further Reading

Otto Porter Jr. has yet to progress toward a return, Raptors say

Injuries no excuse for Raptors as nearly healthy group opens new year with loss to Pacers

Raptors have seen tougher Nick Nurse this year as team combats early season 'looseness'