Morning Coffee - Jan. 29, 2025
Trade deadline primer | Everyone is available | Please don't trade for Ingram
Raptors NBA trade deadline 2025 primer: Rules, assets, future outlook and more - Sportsnet
Draft picks – The Raptors hold all of their own draft picks between now and 2031 (the furthest out a team can trade a pick), except for their 2025 second-round pick (which Detroit holds, via San Antonio, from the Poeltl trade). Toronto also holds an extra 2026 first-round pick from Indiana, from the Pascal Siakam trade, which is top-four protected in 2026 and 2027 and becomes two second-rounders if it doesn’t convey by 2027. (It will almost surely convey.). The Raptors also own Portland’s 2025 second-round pick from the Kings trade this summer.
Cash – Teams can send and receive up to $7.2 million in trades this league year. The Raptors already sent $1 million out to acquire the Ulrich Chomche pick, so they could include up to $6.2 million in cash, and receive up to $7.2 million. Cash has no impact on the cap or tax situation, it’s just straight cash.
Player rights – The Raptors hold the rights to 2000 draft pick DeeAndre Hulett, which can be included in a trade. This seems weird, I realize. Imagine, though, a team wants to dump a salary into Toronto’s trade exception. The Raptors have to send something back, according to league rules, so “the rights to Hulett” could theoretically be traded.
Other exceptions – The Raptors do not have a disabled player exception to use in trade. The remaining chunk of their trade exception from the Siakam trade expired on Jan. 17 (the rest was used in this summer’s Kings deal to absorb salary). They technically have a $1.6-million trade exception from last year’s Jazz trade, but that is so small it’s very unlikely to matter. Finally, the Raptors can always take on minimum-salary players via the minimum-player exception, so long as it wouldn’t push them past the first apron line.
Other notes
Every Raptor is technically eligible to be traded. Scottie Barnes would be subject to the “poison-pill provision” if dealt, which makes trading him very complicated. I don’t think that’ll come up.
Boucher is the only Raptor currently eligible to sign an extension, if he’s not dealt at the deadline. Poeltl, Barrett, and Ochai Agbaji will be eligible in the summer.
A possible buyout for Brown has been reported, if he’s not traded. I’m a bit skeptical. No team above the apron would be able to sign Brown due to his salary level — that takes out Denver, among others — and Brown would probably have to leave a lot of money on the table for it to be worthwhile for Toronto, as his Early Bird rights in free agency would hold a bit of value for sign-and-trade purposes. (A trade still makes the most sense.)
In addition to Brown’s Early Bird rights, the Raptors would hold full Bird rights on Boucher and Mitchell if they remain on the team. Mitchell would have an $8.7-million qualifying offer, if the Raptors wanted to make him a restricted free agent.
While rare, players on two-way contracts can be traded. They do not count for anything for making salary math work, nor do they count against the cap and tax.
Post-deadline, the Raptors will have a few options with any open roster spots. They can continue to cycle 10-day contracts, sign a player they like to a rest-of-season or multi-year deal, or promote one of their two-ways to a standard NBA contract. As noted above, keeping a portion of the mid-level exception available would let them sign Battle (or Orlando Robinson, or Player Of Your Choice) to a deal for this year and up to three more, versus just this year and next if they don’t have an exception.
Chris Boucher is an unforgettable Raptor, in his own way - Raptors Republic
As many of us know, Chris Boucher is the last remaining member of the championship Raptors that is on the team. In fact, much of the championship rotation is either retired or on the last legs of their NBA careers. Boucher had navigated a turbulent situation with the Warriors organization — he doesn’t even have a ring from that title — landed in Toronto afterwards, and finally got to start working his big sneakers into a foothold in the NBA.
Boucher would go on to win a championship with the Raptors; and while he didn’t come close to cracking the rotation and didn’t register a minute played in the NBA Finals, he did play 4 minutes of playoff basketball (2 games against Milwaukee) and scored 5 points in that time, because of course he did. That’s what Boucher does: he jumps into games with no warmup time, sprints into the lane in transition and towards the rim, sprints towards opposing shooters, sprints to his spot as a shooter, sprints for his full stint, and then sprints to the end of the bench where he sprawls out to catch his breath. It’s no accident that he leads the franchise in 20-point games off the bench. For Boucher, it’s go time, all the time.
Boucher is resilient to every mitigating circumstance, it seems. You can see the malaise, the waxing and waning that affects other players in seasons that lack as much inherent meaning. Boucher doesn’t allow that to touch his game, though. Considering his winding road to get here, it’s not a surprise that he’s, at least a little bit, more mindful of the opportunities that come his way.
He was a bright spot of the Tampa season, where he finished the season as one of the NBA’s most efficient halfcourt scorers and as one of the best roll men (statistically) of that season. He’s a bright spot in this season as well, as he revives then sustains a comatose Raptors offense every time he touches the floor – only, this year he’s not a featured roller playing off of Kyle Lowry (only 5-percent of his plays are coming as pnr roll man), he’s just the most opportunistic cutter, shooter, and driver you’ve ever seen.
In Tampa, Boucher was a 97th-percentile halfcourt scorer and this year he’s… 96th. Feature him, don’t feature him, he’ll find his way. Also, something that matches the eye test 1-to-1: of all the players in the NBA, synergy currently has Boucher as 6th last in unguarded jumpers. Everything he shoots is classified as guarded, and the only other player with a similar amount of volume as him there is Karl-Anthony Towns. Two, big, shot makers.
Even looking back at the Vision 6’9″ era — that was forward thinking in its own way and helped predict and motivate some of the latest meta in the NBA — that was defined by Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby; well, Boucher was the bassist providing the slick, thumping backtrack. My favorite lineup from that era, the Funkfest quartet, couldn’t have survived without Boucher’s presence. Even in seasons where the Raptors underperform and are forced to pivot, Boucher provides the much needed entertainment.
Save for the odd, calamitous 2022-23 Raptors season, Boucher has been a resounding minutes winner with the Raptors.
The key to the Raptors’ recent success is a player who doesn’t get a lot of hype - Toronto Star
The seven-foot centre is the linchpin to what the Raptors hope to accomplish on offence and he also anchors a rapidly improving defensive group.
He doesn’t get the hype of Scottie Barnes or RJ Barrett but they can’t score as effectively if he’s not directing the play, and the ball, from his perch at the elbow.
“He does so many things for us that don’t show in the boxscore,” Rajakovic said.
Poeltl chips in more than his share of scoring, too. The 29-year-old is averaging a career-high 14.7 points per game on nearly 62 per cent shooting and has become a crucial in-the-paint safety valve when Toronto’s half-court offence bogs down, as it does too often.
Poeltl also doesn’t get as much credit as he should for a resurgent defence that led the league over the last seven games.
“There are so many things that, defensively, he’s covering for us (and) doing an outstanding job of communicating,” Rajakovic said.
There’s more ball pressure thanks to Davion Mitchell, and Barnes is able to make up for a lot of his teammates’ mistakes with his versatility, but having Poeltl at the back end eases a lot of crises.
“I’d say it’s a mixture of experience, (the) ability to read the game, knowing what’s coming, knowing your opponents,” he said. “And I’m usually in the position to be that guy, the last line of defence, see everybody, can talk to everybody.
“You have principles, you have a game plan, but sometimes that stuff just goes out the window and you have to make something up on the fly. And in those situations, it’s important to have the right communication, get everybody on the same page.”
One of the most important traits Poeltl shows to his teammates is a sense of calm and of the moment. Not just in the game, but in the season. It’s going well for the Raptors right now with four straight wins and six in seven outings. But they are also 19 games below .500. It’s not like an all-star roster has materialized suddenly.
Rediscovering Relevancy: Stein reports Masai Ujiri may make “gradiose swing” at NBA Trade Deadline - Raptors HQ
If you watched the Pelicans play the Raptors Monday night, it’s obvious to see that they need to do something, anything to this team. Moving Ingram for picks or a player may help move them in the direction they need to be going in — REBUILD.
Yet, the Toronto Raptors are not in ANY position to be giving up draft picks. People have been assuming they will be receiving picks, if anything.
As for obtaining Ingram, Stein says that “it remains to be seen if the Raptors become more than [merely interested] where Ingram is concerned,” yet “the suggestion of Raptors interest in Ingram is the most significant development in weeks when it comes to the New Orleans forward.”
According to both Stein and Jake Fischer, Ujiri and Webster have “made it clear throughout the league that they hope to be facilitators in the event that a multi-team transaction is required to move Jimmy Butler” as the Miami Heat looks to move Butler. They have now suspended him indefinitely after Butler walked out of practice, learning that he would be benched. What Stein calls their “once-bountiful relationship” has deteriorated this season. It will likely be a multi-team deal considering the size of Butler’s contract and expectations.
So, why would any of this make sense for the Raptors, who we all expected to collect draft picks as opposed to look for a core player and call it a day? Well, Michael Grange of Sportsnet reports that the Raptors are open to discussing trades that could bring another “significant” player in to pair with Scottie Barnes. Barnes, who won Eastern Conference Player of the Week earlier this week, has been surrounded by young players with high potential.
Stein goes on to attempt to make it make sense for us... in terms we know well by now — Masai Ujiri wants to turn this ship around ASAP. Stein even goes back to quote Masai from last July (and last February, and the July before that, and the February before that), “we will win again here.” Classic Masai-ism.
As Marc Stein puts it, the Raptors are eager to “rediscover relevancy” after Ujiri told the media last summer that when you don’t win, “you are irrelevant.”
As far as I was concerned, the major acquisition I expected the Raptors to make this year was named Cooper Flagg. Or Ace Bailey. Or Dylan Harper. A trio also known as “the top three prospects in the 2025 NBA draft.”
Raptors’ Barnes starting to fulfill elite defensive potential - TSN
It’s not that Barnes has fallen short of those expectations four years into his professional career, but when his offensive game developed quicker than anticipated that became the thing most people focused on. As he pointed out earlier this week, he’s generally not talked about as one of the league’s top defenders, even though he feels like he should be included in that group. Perhaps that’s about to change.
Over the past seven games – a stretch in which they’ve gone 6-1 – the Raptors have been the NBA’s best defensive team, allowing 105.4 points per 100 possessions. This is the same club that was surrendering 121.3 points per 100 – dead last in the league – when they lost 16 of 17 games earlier this season.
There’s more than one reason for this drastic improvement, but the simplest explanation is that the team’s most important player is playing the best defence of his life. The eye test and the numbers tell the same story. With Barnes on the floor, Toronto is holding opponents to a remarkable 99.3 points per 100 over these last seven games. Without him, it’s giving up 116.0, a difference of 16.7 points per 100.
He's shown flashes of impacting the game at that level before, the missing piece has been sustaining it for 48 minutes and doing it every night. Those challenges aren’t limited to him; they’re something that every young player faces, and at 23, Barnes is still very young.
After inking a maximum extension over the summer – a five-year deal that could be worth up to $270 million, officially crowning him the face of the franchise – he had a bumpy start his fourth season. He took a Nikola Jokic elbow to the eye in the fourth game of the campaign and broke his orbital bone, missed the next 11 contests and then sprained his ankle a few weeks after his return to the lineup. Fortunately, that injury wasn’t as bad as initially feared – he only missed two games – but it took him some time to get back to full strength.
Now that he’s there and the stars are aligning around him, he’s taking his game to a whole new level. Davion Mitchell, who has been starting in place of the injured Immanuel Quickley, and Bruce Brown, who is finally healthy, have shored up the on-ball perimeter defence that was lacking earlier, taking pressure off Barnes as the help man and allowing him to lock in on his assignments. When he’s able to play off his man and blow up plays as the free safety, which has always been a strength, he’s taking more calculated risks. That the schedule is starting to get friendlier also doesn’t hurt.
But mostly, this is as engaged as we’ve ever seen him. He’s not taking plays off or sulking after missed calls. His effort and focus haven’t waned or wavered. He’s bringing it on every play.
“I think the biggest thing is his consistency in playing hard,” 15-year veteran Garrett Temple told TSN. “I think that’s one thing I’ve seen level up. Just very consistent in playing hard on both sides of the ball, and obviously on the defensive side that’s going to show out. There’s not really a lot of people that do that, especially stars of teams.”
NBA trade deadline tiers: Deal scenarios, outlooks for all 30 teams - ESPN
Keep an eye on: Chris Boucher, Bruce Brown Jr. and trade exceptions
A roster transformation has Toronto near the bottom of the standings but with financial flexibility to take back salary at the deadline and add to its 15 draft picks over the next seven years. The Raptors are $10.1 million below the luxury tax and have three trade exceptions ($12.8 million, $1.6 million and $1.4 million) along with an open roster spot.
In addition to financial flexibility, Toronto could explore trading Brown or Boucher, two veterans who are on expiring contracts. Brown missed the first 10 weeks of the season while recovering from knee surgery and returned this month. His $23 million salary is less advantageous than in prior seasons.
Brown, a champion with the Nuggets in 2023, could also explore a buyout. His list of contenders would be limited as he would not be allowed to sign with apron teams -- Boston, Denver, Lakers, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia and Phoenix.
Boucher is having one of his more efficient seasons and earns half ($10.8 million) of what is owed to Brown. The forward is averaging 10.7 points in 17.5 minutes and has set his season high of 23 points twice this month.
One trade that works
Toronto receives:
Zeke Nnaji
Vlatko Cancar
Swap rights in 2031 (top-5 protected)
Denver receives:
Chris Boucher
The Raptors are gambling that the swap rights in 2031 have more value than inheriting the $23 million owed to Nnaji after this season. The 24-year-old is averaging a career-low 4.5 minutes.
NBA Power Rankings: Knicks, Rockets rise toward top as we hand out second-quarter grades - The Athletic
This week: 24
Last week: 28
In the last week: W vs. ORL, W at ATL, W at ATL, W vs. NO
Offensive rating: 110.3 (23rd)
Defensive rating: 115.9 (25th)
First quarter: D+
Second quarter: D
The Raptors are reeling off victories lately, but they had the worst defense in the NBA in the second quarter of the season while allowing the most free-throw attempts in the league. Center Jakob Poeltl has struggled with fouls in particular over the last seven weeks.
