2016-17 NBA Power Rankings: Raptors, Pelicans Jump In Week 19 After Trade Deadline

In Week 19 of NBA Power Rankings, the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans make a jump after successful trade deadlines…but not as big of a jump as you might think.

Following the All-Star break, the NBA landscape is set for the home stretch of the 2016-17 season.

The contenders have bolstered their roster for postseason runs, while the tankers have aided playoff teams by sending them useful players in exchange for future draft picks and young assets for their respective rebuilds.

Some teams that needed to make a move — the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers, for example — didn’t make one. Some teams that needed to make a move and made the wrong one — the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls come to mind — could regret it soon enough.

For our focus however, two teams that needed to improve at the trade deadline and supposedly did so — the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans — make the biggest jumps in this week’s NBA Power Rankings…but not as big as you might think given NOLA’s early struggles and a key injury for the Raptors.

After taking a Week 18 hiatus to focus on the fallout from the All-Star break and NBA Trade Deadline during a shortened week, here’s a look at our Week 19 NBA Power Rankings.