NBA Trade Deadline 2018: 5 deals that should have happened

3. DeAndre Jordan to the Raptors

A possible DeAndre Jordan trade to the Raptors was floated in the morning just as all the Cavs chaos went down, and then was lost in the shuffle. Ultimately, the Raptors didn’t make a move, which is fine because they are still in a strong position in the East. Adding Jordan also would have presented some uncomfortable salary cap questions for the Masai Ujiri to handle moving forward.

But adding Jordan would have been an interesting, all-in move for the Raptors. For one, it would have required moving on from Jonas Valanciunas and, maybe, one of their fringe rotation players to make the money work. In Jordan, the Raptors would have received some better rim protection, someone who will have a better chance of staying on the floor against elite teams in the playoffs than Valanciunas and someone whose skill set wouldn’t be difficult to implement.

Not doing this deal, though, makes sense too. A Jordan-Kyle Lowry-DeMar DeRozan core probably has a ceiling on it and, in acquiring Jordan, they probably would have had to find some sort of extension in line for him. This deal definitely would have limited the Raptors’ flexibility moving forward, too.

But this Raptors team may never be in a better position to win right now. And this might have helped.