Toronto Raptors: 3 trades team should make before deadline

2. Tyreke Evans

This is a bigger trade than the previous one, featuring two of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference collaborating to agree upon a trade that would ultimately make them both better.

First, let’s take a look at Toronto’s take on the trade. Tyreke Evans has certainly taken a dip in his overall performance, but this does not mean that he should not be a priority target for the Raptors.

He signed with the Indiana Pacers back in July, joining a team with many offensive weapons in its arsenal. Even though he is still a very useful rotation piece to have, it looks like he is expendable to the Pacers. And what do you do with an expendable player that’s about to become a free agent?

Evans is currently averaging 10.9 points in just 20.4 minutes per game, rendering him perfect for the Raptors to use as an energy spark off the bench, which is something they’ve been missing the most.

In return, Kent Bazemore will be moving to Indianapolis with Toronto’s own Malachi Richardson joining him along the way. Bazemore is an excellent 3-and-D guy designed to fit Indiana’s system and capitalize on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.

Last but not least, the Atlanta Hawks manage to get out of Bazemore’s $19.3 million player option while getting cheap young players in Norman Powell and T.J. Leaf in return. But most importantly, they become much worse right away, boosting their chances at getting a top pick in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft.