We’ve approached the Sliding Doors portion of the Raptors season: the trade deadline.
Two years ago, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster swung for the fences and landed Marc Gasol. Had the proverbial doors been closed on that deal, it’s hard to tell if Jonas Valanciunas at Center would have still ended with a Raptors championship (I personally don’t think so).
Last year, with Gasol and Serge Ibaka on expiring contracts and the Raptors housing the 3rd-best record in the NBA (and riding a 12-game win streak at the time), the front office ultimately decided to stand pat.