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Toronto Raptors
A roster add seems inevitable, but it's not known how aggressive GM Bobby Webster will be as the deadline arrives on Feb. 5.
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Published Jan 26, 2026 • 4 minute read
Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley looks for an outlet against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace.
Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley looks for an outlet against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace. AP Photo
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With their next win, the Raptors will match last year’s season-long total, which speaks more to how unspeakably bad the 2024-25 edition was than it is an affirmation of this year’s iteration.
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Toronto’s 30th win may arrive as early as Wednesday night when the New York Knicks come to town, a team that hasn’t played well of late but has feasted on its divisional rival, including an elimination-game win with a berth in the NBA Cup semifinal at stake.
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The Knicks represent a measuring stick for the Raptors, even though New York will be in Toronto one night after playing host to Sacramento.
Jalen Brunson has been a load, the Knicks’ toughness often overwhelming the Raptors, not to mention two previous meetings this season when New York won by a combined 38 points.
As of Monday, the Raptors find themselves in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-19 record while New York sits in fourth at 27-18.
Expectations in the Big Apple were quite high following last year’s post-season run that ended in the conference final when the upstart Indiana Pacers advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000.
The Knicks, it was widely thought, needed to get over the hump and it was exit Tom Thibodeau, enter Mike Brown. Only come playoff time will this coaching change be measured and only if the Knicks play for a championship.
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No one thought the Raptors would put up last year’s low win total knowing Brandon Ingram was on board, but no one thought the Raptors would be in third place as the Feb. 1 trade deadline approaches.
But here they are, crafting arguably one of the surprise stories in the NBA with a roster that has played without its incompetent starter, a roster short on size and even shorter on three-point shooters.
The Raptors are a team coming off a 4-1 trip that began with a loss in L.A. to the Lakers.
Scottie Barnes in the mix for DPOY award
Scottie Barnes is coming of age, his block and offensive rebound late in Sunday’s win in Oklahoma City further proof that he is among the candidates for defensive player of the year.
In the big picture, any individual accolade is meaningless when the ultimate goal is winning and positioning oneself for the deepest post-season run possible.
In Toronto, where insecurity reins, where gaining any kind of attention down south is viewed as validation, such an award is coveted.
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Will Barnes win the award? Probably not.
Will he be in contention? Absolutely.
Will he make the NBA’s all-defensive team? If the Raptors keep winning, it’ll be a slam dunk.
At the end of the day, teams are measured by wins and not on the amount of awards or all-star recognition.
The Raptors are a winning team and, for that, the franchise must be recognized. Only time will tell if this winning can be sustained knowing the issues that continue to plague them.
It is GM Bobby Webster’s move
The margins are slim, which is why it will be fascinating to see how GM Bobby Webster approaches his first trade deadline without the aid of Masai Ujiri.
What’s obvious is frontcourt help is required. The not-so-obvious is how this can be addressed.
Jakob Poeltl has proven to be as valuable and as indispensable as Barnes, but the big man has been nursing a back issue that dates back to the pre-season finale against Brooklyn. During the team’s five-game trip, he returned home to be evaluated by doctors.
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The club would announce Poeltl, who oddly enough last played in Brooklyn on Dec. 21 when he saw the floor for under seven minutes, had received targeted pain-relief treatment.
There’s no timeline for possible return with his status, according to the team, to be updated when he returns to practice.
There’s no telling when he’ll take part in practice without restrictions or limitations.
In many ways, playing without a legitimate centre makes the Raptors’ success even more remarkable.
The fact the roster has been so thin at times adds even more credibility to this run, though the schedule has been kind with opponents fielding a similarly compromised roster or times when Toronto faced an opposition playing the back end of a back-to-back set.
Still, legendary football coach Bill Parcells was right when he uttered his now-famous “You are what your record says you are” saying.
Knicks have been a thorn in Raptors’ side
Here are the Raptors, fresh off a 4-1 trip capped off by a win over the reigning champion Thunder and poised to play a thorn in their side in the form of the Knicks.
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The way Barnes has played and continues to make game-winning plays that doesn’t involve scoring, there’s justifiably optimism.
Ingram may have hit a wall during this recent trip, but defences must still respect his versatility and shot making.
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[Raptors Brandon Ingram gets a pass away as he hits the floor as Aaron Wiggins, right, and Chet Holmgren defend during the first half on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Oklahoma City.
Rolling Raptors stun Thunder thanks to Immanuel Quickley's scoring and Scottie Barnes' defence](https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/toronto-raptors/rolling-raptors-stun-thunder-thanks-to-immanuel-quickleys-scoring-and-scottie-barnes-defence)
2. [Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) tries to get past Denver Nuggets' Spencer Jones during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Milwaukee.
NBA trade deadline ruined by run of injuries, including to Giannis](https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/nba-trade-deadline-ruined-by-run-of-injuries-including-to-giannis)
Heck, even Immanuel Quickley is beginning to make believers of some.
Once he was cleared to play following his back issue, he posted one of his career outings in Toronto’s win over the host Golden State Warriors, going 7-for-8 from distance also while dishing off 10 assists.
In the road finale, he went 6-for-10 from distance and hauled down 11 rebounds.
There’s a lot to like about this team and yet there’s a lot of ground that needs to be covered given the roster shortcomings.
A move prior to Feb. 1 or a move in the minutes leading up to the 6 p.m. ET deadline seems inevitable.
What the move is remains to be seen, but clearly one does have the potential of moving the needle.
fzciarelli@postmedia.com
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