The Toronto Raptors have performed well this season, currently sitting at 29-19 ahead of Wednesday night's home game against the New York Knicks. With the team performing well above expectations, some have speculated that the Raptors could be significant buyers at the upcoming NBA trade deadline, which is set for February 5.
Recently, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported on discussions that the Raptors have had with the New Orleans Pelicans, centering around wing RJ Barrett.
“Whereas the Bulls spoke with the Pelicans about both Missi and Zion Williamson, the Raptors were focused on (Yves) Missi and Trey Murphy III,” reported Siegel. “Toronto has been aggressive this season on the trade market, and they brought up the idea of packaging RJ Barrett, Ochai Agbaji, and draft picks to acquire both Missi and Murphy from New Orleans, which sources said was something the Pelicans weren't willing to do.”
Murphy III has indeed been one of the hottest names on the trade market so far this year, with teams enamored by his ability to knock down deep threes, put the ball on the floor, and play solid defense, all of which are crucial skills to have for the modern era of positionless basketball.
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Meanwhile, Barrett has been enjoying a strong year for the Raptors in 2025-26 when he's been healthy, which the team was evidently hoping would be enough to lure the Pelicans into a trade. However, it doesn't appear that Barrett, Agbaji, and draft capital were enough to bring in both Murphy and Missi, who would help out the Raptors' depleted frontcourt rotation.
Still, the Raptors will likely continue to explore trade scenarios right up to the deadline as they look to take advantage of a wide open Eastern Conference landscape.
They will next take the floor on Wednesday night at home against Barrett's former team, the New York Knicks.