Toronto Raptors: 3 trades team should make before deadline

As the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline is slowly approaching, the Toronto Raptors could find themselves pretty active as they attempt to contend for a championship.

The Toronto Raptors underwent a series of big changes during the 2018 offseason. They started by letting go of Dwane Casey, who had been their coaching cornerstone for the past seven seasons. Casey’s spot was immediately filled by Nick Nurse, who had been working under Casey for quite some time.

After a series of unsuccessful seasons playoff-wise, the Raptors were in desperate need of a change. Thus, they decided to trade for former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, sacrificing their franchise player in DeMar DeRozan along the way.

It is fair to say both these moves have worked out perfectly. More than halfway throughout the season, the Raptors are neck-and-neck with the Milwaukee Bucks for the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference.

Kawhi is playing incredible, Kyle Lowry has found a new playmaking role he currently excels at and Pascal Siakam is a clear Most Improved Player candidate with a high chance of winning the award.

But they might not be ready for primetime just yet. They lack bench depth, especially on the wings. As a result, the Raptors front office should be open to a couple of trade possibilities that could send a potential 3-and-D type of player straight to Toronto.

Here are three trades the Toronto Raptors should seriously consider in order to finally compete for that championship they so desperately yearn for.