With no Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton at the top of the conference, the Eastern Conference felt as wide open as ever entering the 2025-26 NBA season. However, virtually no one saw the Toronto Raptors emerging as a legitimate threat in the conference near Christmas.
At 16-11, they are the third seed in the East, despite a recent skid that saw them lose seven consecutive games. As they try to get their operation back on track, a trade seems like the best way to shore up any slight holes on the roster, with one insider providing the two best candidates available to them.
Toronto Raptors Have a Clear Need
Despite the recent losing streak, the Raptors are 12th in offensive rating and seventh in defensive rating for the season. As a result, they have the foundations of a team that can make some real noise throughout the year.
However, there are a few areas that they clearly need to work on. Most importantly, the enormous man depth on the roster is suspectible at best, and downright barren at worst. Jakob Poeltl has been their starter over the last few seasons.
However, he is challenging to categorize as a net positive at this point in his career. The official backup on the depth chart is Sandro Mamukelashvili, who is serviceable at best. Their rookie selection, Collin Murray-Boyles, has intriguing potential.
However, he hasn’t become a significant part of the rotation yet, and is drastically undersized to consistently play at the 5. As a result, some upgrades at the big man spot are a must for Toronto. And beat reporter Josh Lewenberg has the two targets that could most interest them.
“If Dallas is indeed open for business, the more realistic target could be Daniel Gafford, a player that I’m told the Raptors are interested in, that they like, and that they’ve already checked in on,” Lewenberg said.
The starting center of the team that advanced to the NBA Finals in the 2023-24 season for the Mavericks, Gafford has extensive experience in high-leverage situations. A plus defender on the inside, he is highly efficient around the team. All in all, he should be able to act as a rich man’s Poeltl.
But he isn’t the only name on Lewenberg’s radar. “And then, another name that comes up as a potential fit for Toronto is Orlando center Goga Bitadze. He’s a player who fits a lot of their needs. His rebounding rate would rank second on the Raptors, so he checks off that box.”
Consistently building out a knack for himself, Bitadze has developed into a solid hand for extended minutes at the center spot.
