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

1. Improving from within

All of the questions about the Raptors and their needs can be solved within the organization. One of the team’s biggest weaknesses is rebounding (16th in the league). As mentioned before, they’re getting back a player who is top 10 in rebounding percentage the last three years. In counting statistics, that’ll be another eight-plus rebounds a night.

Greg Monroe has been a serviceable backup big on some nights, but he has the lowest plus/minus on the team and is a major liability on the defensive end of the floor. Some nights he just looks downright unplayable, missing open layups, showing a lack of effort on the glass, and looking very sluggish on the floor. Replacing him with a fresh and eager JV will be a major improvement.

Another need is for playmaking off the bench, since Pascal Siakam is definitively with the starting unit. His playmaking is surely missed on the once renowned “bench mob.” At a glance, a lineup featuring two point guards in Fred VanVleet and Delon Wright should have enough playmaking ability and/or shot creation. FVV works better in an off-ball capacity though, while Wright shows flashes of being elite, but isn’t consistent enough for the unit to thrive.

Since Wright’s DNP-CD, he has been more aggressive and is showing more in an attempt to be a primary facilitator coming off the bench. With Wright’s recent improvement, the need for another player via trade is no longer necessary.

With the regular season getting closer to its end, the rotation shrinks, usually to 8-9 players. Having one of the two All-Stars on the roster spreading their minutes to play with the bench in spurts, in addition to Siakam joining as a small-ball 5, fills the need for playmaking and shot creation. So far, in limited sample sizes due to injuries, the Lowry-plus-bench combination like in years past has been extremely successful.

But what about their shooting woes? The Raptors are sixth in attempted 3-pointers (33 per game), while only being 22nd in efficiency (34.5 percent).

If only they have someone on the roster who is an elite 3-point specialist … oh wait, they do: C.J. Miles! All of the likely acquisitions mentioned — Wesley Matthews, Courtney Lee, Wayne Ellington, etc. — are all the same quality of player as Miles.

Miles is a career 35.6 percent shooter from 3, and from 2015-18, he shot 36.7 percent, 41.3 percent and and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc, respectively. He’s an average defender, and going into this season, he was in better shape than last year. So what happened? Some may say it was the Go Daddy Curse, others say it was because of his shoulder injury, and maybe it’s all a mental hurdle limiting his ability.

Regardless of the reasoning to why is output has been downright disappointing, shooting 34 percent from the field on an effective field goal percentage of 44.4 is atrocious for a player of his caliber. Miles has proven throughout his 14 NBA seasons to be a reliable shot. This law of averages will eventually even out and he should become closer to the player he once was. The Raptors have less than 30 games remaining for him to do so, but in the last couple of weeks, he has shown some signs of hope.

Currently buried in the roster rotation due to a surplus of wings and players getting healthy, Miles’ role would be similar to someone acquired via trade, filling the need of providing a spark for the bench when called upon. His career reputation certainly suggests he can get there again.