Trading their first-round pick would have been the ultimate sign of faith in the Raptors’ core
The Raptors were very quiet at the trade deadline and didn’t make any significant roster upgrades for the final playoff push. There are several possible reasons for that: Maybe there just was no good deal available that GM Bobby Webster liked, maybe the asking price for a truly impactful player was outrageously high, or maybe the organization never actually believed that the Raptors’ early-season success was sustainable and didn’t want to waste a first-round pick on building out a roster they have no real faith in.