Within the ever-astounding narrative framework of the NBA, things rarely are certain.
Who could’ve predicted current Toronto Raptors big man Marc Gasol getting dealt to Memphis for his own brother in 2008, or the blockbuster that sent Carmelo Anthony to lowly New York in 2011, or Wilt Chamberlain getting shipped to Philadelphia for Connie Dierking, Paul Neumann, Lee Shaffer and cash in 1965?
And yet, despite or perhaps because of this inescapable uncertainty, we push forward with relentless curiosity, desperate for clues as to how the future may unfold. So, with the NBA trade deadline set to take place on Feb. 6, there’s no better time to try and anticipate what may come about, and why.
Here are five things pertaining to the Raptors going into the deadline, then, that are as close to certain as can be in a constantly changing world.
Deadline decisions will reveal Ujiri’s views on team’s ceiling
The Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri receives his 2019 NBA championship ring from Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, before playing the New Orleans Pelicans. (Frank Gunn/CP)
There is perhaps no better word to describe this season’s Raptors squad than fluid (other than perhaps injured and all of its accompanying synonyms), with the team having been forced to play a mishmash of lineups that have resulted in varying degrees of success against a variety of opponents. As such, it’s tough to know what this club is at its core when all the pieces are finally in place and, perhaps most importantly, what its ceiling is.
The Raptors’ most-utilized starting lineup this season has played together for a total of 226 minutes. By contrast, the two teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference have had their starters log 268 (Milwaukee Bucks) and 464 (Miami Heat) minutes, respectively. Out of the 30 teams’ most-played starting groups, Toronto’s ranks 21st in minutes.
That’s just not a lot of time together.
And yet, that same unit has accumulated a net rating of 9.4, a mark that ranks ninth amongst all lineups (including another one of their own, which contains the usual starters save for Norman Powell in place of Fred VanVleet and has a 16.1 net rating and ranks third) that have played at least 150 minutes.
It’s understandable, then, with that example in mind, that the Raptors front office may find the decision of becoming a buyer or seller or neither a difficult one.
Perhaps Masai Ujiri and Co. will find themselves agreeing with the notion that the Raptors are poised to make a deep post-season run if they’re able to swing a deadline move, and find themselves taking on the identity of a buyer.
At the same time, given how small the sample size for a healthy Raptors squad is, there’s merit in being skeptical of their ability (even at peak strength) to hang with the likes of the Bucks in a seven-game series.
And if there’s no reasonable path to going back-to-back, then there’s some sense in punting on win-now moves in favour of the opposite — selling a piece or two as a means of facilitating their future plans.
There’s virtue in vigilance, of course. Standing pat (with leeway provided for any tiny, innocuous transactions) often proves the most likely stance for a good team that’s all at once radiating potential, and mired in ambivalence. It shouldn’t come as a shock, then, if the franchise opts to ride out the current club and makes peace with any prospective playoff flameout, again with a mind to the future.
No one knows what the ceiling of this team is. Not the fans, not the media, not the Raptors. But that won’t stop the deadline from coming, so expect some level of clarity on how the organization views the roster soon, despite the murky fog that layers the entire situation.
Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry reacts in the second half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets. (Mary Altaffer/AP)
Yes, Lowry could be traded. It’s not out of the realm of possibility by any stretch. We have seen Ujiri make seismic deals before that have shaken the franchise to its very core. But the return in any sort of trade structured around Lowry would have to be gargantuan to be worth the Raptors’ while.
From a sentimental perspective, this remains the championship hangover season. Kawhi Leonard is gone, and Lowry remains as the frisky, omnipresent soul of the golden era of Raptors basketball. There would hardly be any deal that Toronto could make this season, in the midst of a title afterglow, that would not be a significant blow to the fan base. And with the DeMar DeRozan debacle having happened so recently, the notion of doing right by the face of the franchise (even if it’s generally not brilliant for business) may be of higher priority than in the past.
Looking at things through a cold, calculating lens does little to change the likelihood of a trade. Lowry’s contract ($33 million) is a difficult one to move due to the fact that it’s simply a large number and makes salary-matching difficult, and the teams that would likely covet him the most would be contenders who would have to give up one or many of their own core pieces in order to obtain Lowry since it would be impossible to add him otherwise, something that both the Raptors and any contending team would probably balk at.
There’s value in keeping Lowry, too, of course. The original plan for the immediate season was to spend it on internal growth and development for the likes of OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam while remaining competitive and keeping an eye on the books for a hopeful free agency splash down the road. Removing Lowry from that equation instantly leaves the team far less competitive (especially for a squad already lacking creators and guard depth), and from a morale standpoint, removes its leading voice.
This isn’t do or die time for the Raptors’ relationship with Lowry who, at 33, is having a wonderful season. There’s value in known quantities. Teams understand what they’d be getting in Lowry and, should they choose to, Toronto could entertain moving him over the summer or even into next season (the last year of his current deal) as opposed to rushing a deal at the deadline.
The Raptors compromising 2021 cap space is improbable
Toronto Raptors guard Powell (24) drives to the net with Washington Wizards guard Gary Payton II (20) trailing during first half of their NBA basketball game. (Cole Burston/CP)
For the Raptors, whose long-term plan has appeared to be chasing franchise-altering free agents in the summer of 2021, making any move that jeopardizes their cap flexibility at that time seems highly unlikely.
The result of not wanting to breach this plan (a plan, by the way, that many, many teams are employing), one that has its origins pre-Leonard and that has been carried over to post-Leonard life, is obvious: No swinging for the fences. That means no dealing for the big names currently on the trading block, such as Kevin Love, D’Angelo Russell who have multi-year contracts that take up a massive chunk of cap space.
It also probably means no long-term middling deals, either, depending on the range. Toronto has made it clear that it will do all it possibly can to keep its cap sheets clean for that summer and make sacrifices if necessary (to a reasonable extent) along the way.
As a franchise that completely altered its culture through the likes of Ujiri, DeRozan, Lowry, and former head coach Dwane Casey, and then capitalized on that success by ultimately winning a title, the Raptors evidently feel comfortable operating as a team that has as good a shot as any other at landing a free agent superstar, something that would have seemed unfathomable as recently as 10 years ago.
And so every move they make, every deal they sniff around, every hesitant or self-assured moment, will certainly be centred around betting on themselves, and the flexibility they need to make that happen.
The free agent paydays are fast approaching
Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) celebrates his three point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during NBA overtime action. (Frank Gunn/CP)
In the NBA, life flows steadily to the laborious ticking of a money-coloured metronome, a tiny reminder that there is always something next, something onerous, something inevitable.
That ticking has grown louder for the Raptors as they march towards this off-season, with only nine players locked into deals for the 2020–21 season and guys such as VanVleet, Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Chris Boucher, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson coming off the books, whether in regular free agent fashion or restricted.
It’s partially because of all these soon-to-be free agents that the Raptors will likely remain cautious around the deadline. Re-signing any of them to a multi-year deal will factor into Toronto’s cap space for the summer of 2021. That makes things tricky for guys like Gasol and Ibaka, whose markets are debatable and who the Raptors might ask to take one-year deals should they return for next season, something they may not be interested in.
Of course, the main priority here is VanVleet, who is not extension eligible this season and will hit free agency no matter what. The Raptors know that they will not only have to pay VanVleet more to bring him back (whatever his market is precisely at the moment, it’s most assuredly quite high), but also that his deal will join Siakam’s in extending through the 2021 off-season.
This is an argument for the Raptors as sellers — get off of any potentially dangerous or unhelpful deals now, gather inexpensive assets for the future and prepare to roll the dice when the moment comes.
And so we arrive at Powell. Toronto has made its peace with Siakam, perfectly content with his piece of the cap sheet pie, but that may not be so true for Powell. The latter will have the ability to opt into a roughly $11 million player option for 2021–22, which would take up a fair chunk of space that could affect the Raptors’ plans, depending on VanVleet’s eventual deal and a cornucopia of other things. Toronto may, therefore, be interested in moving him early specifically to get out of potentially having to pay that money, and might also feel that this is the best time to do so with how tremendous Powell’s performance on the floor has been this season.
That said, that same tremendous play evidently makes him useful for a competitive team looking to make some sort of run, and Powell doesn’t have to be traded at the deadline. Like Lowry, he could instead be dealt in the off-season or into 2020–21.
No matter what the Raptors do, free agency is coming, and will certainly prove to be a major factor in all deadline-related decisions.
For the Raptors, the deadline market is limited
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari (8) shoots over Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson during the second half of an NBA basketball game. (Sue Ogrocki/AP)
If the Raptors strive for maintaining long-term cap flexibility while also being mindful of their pending free agents, what targets does that leave them with at the deadline?
Pragmatic options would largely be restricted to players on expiring deals (such as Danilo Gallinari) that the team would feel confident in their ability to re-sign to a reasonable number come the summer, or players who are solely on contract for next season already (such as J.J. Redick).
None of these sorts of players will be the type to raise a team’s ceiling so much as to have a serious singular impact towards title contention. Therefore the Raptors may not feel the need to seek any of them out at all considering the cost and, instead, choose to roll the dice with their own expiring deals.
This doesn’t mean the Raptors won’t be active in trade talks, however, and Ujiri, though a clever surveyor of any situation he might be willing to leap into, has never been afraid of making a deal.
But unless something radical were to happen, it would certainly seem the Raptors might be spending this deadline below the radar.
VANCOUVER – As the Major League Soccer season ticks down, Vanni Sartini wants his Vancouver Whitecaps to make a declaration — the team is ready to compete.
“The time of hiding ourselves, I think it’s over,” the coach said after the ‘Caps earned a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.
“We need to really say that we are here to try to be at the ball until the end and trying to shoot for the highest position. That doesn’t mean that we’re going to make it, but we have the quality to do it.”
With seven games left on their regular-season schedule, the ‘Caps (13-8-6) sit in fifth spot in the congested Western Conference, just two points out of fourth.
Saturday’s loss officially eliminated the last-place Earthquakes (5-21-2) from post-season action.
Vancouver has been on a hot streak since returning from the Leagues Cup break and is unbeaten (3-0-1) in its last four outings across all competitions. The team has not allowed a goal in those matches.
“It’s the fact that we play really well,” Sartini said of the clean sheets. “We have the ball a lot, we finish our attack most of the time in their box. So it’s really hard for the other team to attack us. And then when they attack us, in the rare times that they arrive in the final third, we’re very solid.”
Recent additions have bolstered the team’s ranks, including the club’s newest designated player, Stuart Armstrong. The 32-year-old Scottish midfielder scored his first MLS goal Saturday.
Three minutes after coming on as a substitute for Alessandro Schopf, Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal cushion in the 87th minute.
Midfielder Pedro Vite dished a short pass to ‘Caps captain Ryan Gauld, who tapped it toward Armstrong. The former Southampton FC player then blasted a shot into the top of the net for his first strike in a Whitecaps’ jersey.
He was mobbed by teammates in the corner of the field.
“I think everyone was happy. Also for the first goal, but also that it was an important three points,” said Armstrong, who signed with the ‘Caps on Sept. 3.
“It kind of felt a little bit like last week, when we had a lot of chances and we didn’t get the three points. So today, I think everyone was just relieved to have that two-goal cushion.”
Vancouver was the dominant team from the outset Saturday and did not relent, outshooting the visitors 19-5 and controlling 54.1 per cent of possession.
Fafa Picault also found the back of the net for Vancouver, while Gauld contributed a pair of assists.
Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka stopped both shots he faced to collect his seventh clean sheet of the year, while Daniel made nine saves for the Quakes.
Gauld and Picault teamed up in the 22nd minute when Gauld curled a cross in and the Haitian striker headed it down toward the net, only to see Daniel catch a piece of the shot with his forearm and redirect it out of harm’s way.
The duo connected again in the 35th minute on a Vancouver corner. Gauld swung a ball in and Picault jumped up from the pack to send a glancing header in past Daniel for his ninth MLS goal of the season.
San Jose briefly appeared to level the score in the 68th minute when an unmarked Ousseni Bouda collected the ball, froze Takaoka and tapped a shot into the Vancouver net. An official quickly raised the offside flag and waved off the tally.
Daniel kept San Jose’s deficit to a single goal with a pair of solid stops in the 82nd minute.
First, the Brazilian ‘keeper dove sideways on his line to tip away a bomb from Alessandro Schopf. He was tested again on the ensuing corner and jumped up to send a header from Picault over the crossbar.
“I think we created a lot of chances again,” Gauld said.
“We probably should have put the game out of their reach sooner. But we’d be more worried if we weren’t creating the chances. Three clean sheets in a row in the league, I think it’s a big thing for us. And it gives us a good platform to go forward.”
NOTES
Vancouver played without leading scorer Brian White for a third consecutive game as the American striker works his way back from a concussion. … Gauld’s second assist marked his 15th goal contribution (six goals, nine assists) in his last 15 Whitecaps games across all competitions. … An announced crowd of 21,309 took in the game at B.C. Place.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps kick off a two-game road swing Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes host the Seattle Sounders the same night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Not good enough. That was Arne Slot’s verdict after his first defeat as Liverpool manager on Saturday.
A shock 1-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League ended Slot’s perfect record since succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Anfield at the end of last season.
“We had a lot of ball possession but only managed to create three (or) four quite good chances, so that is by far not enough if you have so much ball possession,” said the Dutchman, who suggested his team should not be losing to the likes of Forest.
“If you lose a home game it’s always a setback, especially if you face a team … we never know, maybe they will go all the way to fight for Champions League tickets, but normally this team is not ending up in the top 10, so if you lose a game against them that’s a big disappointment.”
Slot won his first three games in charge, including a memorable 3-0 victory against Manchester United before the international break.
But that run came to an end after Callum Hudson-Odoi struck in the 72nd with a curling effort from the edge of the box and beyond goalkeeper Alisson.
Liverpool’s defeat leaves Manchester City as the only team with a 100% record in the league after a 2-1 win against Brentford kept the defending champion at the top of the table.
United won at Southampton 3-0 to end its two-game losing streak.
Unstoppable Haaland
Erling Haaland moved to 99 goals for City after scoring twice against Brentford.
The Norwegian’s double came after Yoane Wissa fired Brentford ahead with just 22 seconds on the clock.
Haaland scored his 98th and 99th goals in his 103rd City appearance in all competitions. And he was the width of the post away from his third consecutive hat trick after trebles against Ipswich and West Ham.
“He’s been really, really good. Yeah, I would say he’s the best (he’s been), but it’s only four fixtures (this season),” City manager Pep Guardiola said.
Haaland, who has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, has nine goals in four league games. He has topped the league scoring charts in each of his two seasons at City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022 for $63 million.
Haaland’s first goal after 19 minutes evened the game following Wissa’s opener, which stunned the Etihad Stadium crowd. Haaland turned and swept a shot past goalkeeper Mark Flekken after a slight deflection off Ethan Pinnock.
He was then too strong for Pinnock when shaking off the defender and running through for his second in the 32nd.
He was inches away in the 81st; the shot came back off the post after beating the keeper.
Rashford snaps run
Marcus Rashford snapped a 12-game barren run in front of goal as United beat Southampton.
Rashford doubled United’s lead at Saint Mary’s after Matthijs de Ligt’s scored his first for the club. Substitute Alejandro Garnacho scored a third in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The win came after back-to-back defeats for United.
Rashford hadn’t scored since March in United’s win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals. He curled in a shot from the edge of the area to put Erik ten Hag’s team 2-0 up at Southampton in the 41st minute.
Ten Hag said it could be a turning point for the forward.
“For every striker, they want to be on the scoring list. Once the first is in, more is coming. Like a ketchup bottle, once it’s going, it’s coming more,” he said.
De Ligt, who joined United from Bayern Munich in the offseason, headed in from Bruno Fernandes’ cross in the 35th.
It could have been a different story if Cameron Archer converted a penalty for Southampton in the 33rd. Instead, his effort was saved by goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Newly promoted Southampton was reduced to 10 men when Jack Stephens was sent off in the 79th for a high challenge on Garnacho.
Villa comeback
After three straight defeats to start the league, Everton looked set for its first win when leading Aston Villa 2-0.
Goals from Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Sean Dyche’s team in control until Ollie Watkins struck twice to even the game.
Jhon Duran completed Villa’s comeback and sealed a 3-2 win in the 76th to leave Everton rooted to the bottom of the table and the only top flight team without a point.
Late drama
Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a stoppage time penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw for Crystal Palace against Leicester.
Leicester led 2-0 at Selhurst Park after goals from Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi.
But Mateta sparked Palace’s response with a goal in the 47th, a minute after Mavididi doubled Leicester’s advantage.
Conor Coady fouled Ismaili Sarr in the box right near fulltime and Mateta was cool enough to convert.
West Ham left it even later to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw at Fulham.
Danny Ings struck in the fifth minute of added time after Raul Jimenez’s goal looked like earning Fulham the win.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, the manager of the month for August, was frustrated as his team was held to 0-0 at home by Ipswich.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
