Toronto Raptors: 3 reasons to stand pat at 2019 NBA Trade Deadline

3. Waiting for the buyout market

The purpose of the trade deadline for a team contending in the playoffs is to improve their depth with more veteran presences and/or improved quality of players. The Toronto Raptors have a great mix of veterans and young quality players.

Odds are if they were to make a small trade for another veteran, the newly acquired player wouldn’t be better than the current rotation player to truly have an impact. For example, by trading Greg Monroe, the return most likely would not be a better quality of player than his trade counterpart or another player higher up in the rotation. If a veteran player is needed to improve depth, the buyout market may be the best option.

Hypothetically, if a player like Vince Carter of the Atlanta Hawks were to be bought out before the March 1 deadline (which seems unlikely, but still), he would be eligible to sign with a playoff-destined team with a roster spot open, which the Raptors do.

For another example of how impactful the buyout market can be, see the Philadelphia 76ers‘ rare, quality buyout acquisitions from last year. It’s not every year when the Marco Belinellis of the world are available as an in-season signing. With that being said, there are a bunch of rumored quality players who could be made available for signing after receiving a buyout, such as Wesley Matthews, Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee, Wayne Ellington or Dewayne Dedmon.

One of the biggest needs for the Raptors is adding more quality shooters, as well as finding another playmaking option. The aforementioned buyout candidates would be high quality players that fit those needs, particularly Ellington.