With the conclusion of NBA All-Star Weekend, the Toronto Raptors have just 27 games left in the regular season to increase their seeding in the Eastern Conference standings. After a quiet trade deadline on Feb. 5th, the core starting five of Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, and Jakob Poeltl will finally have their chance to see how they compete with the league’s best moving into the postseason. 

Poelt’s return from a 24-game absence came in Toronto’s final game before the All-Star Break in a 113-95 loss to the top-seed in the East, the Detroit Pistons. Dealing with a lower back strain for around two months, the Austrian big man got his first taste of action, while only playing 20 minutes to account for the process of easing him back into the lineup. 

Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) | © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Before the deadline, Poeltl and Barrett were consistently mentioned in trade rumors, largely due to their steep contracts that haven’t quite matched their production to this point. Specifically, sources revealed potential details for a deal to be done involving Barrett moving to the Sacramento Kings for Domantas Sabonis and Poeltl being moved to an undisclosed third team. 

A trade was not completed to acquire the three-time All-Star center, and after today’s breaking news from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Raptors may have benefited from being conservative. 

Charania announced Wednesday that the Lithuanian star has undergone season-ending surgery to repair a previously torn meniscus. This means that Sabonis played just 19 games this season, marking the first time he’s played less than 47 games in a season throughout his 10-year career. 

This injury was initially suffered back on Nov. 16th of last year, but the former No. 11 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft chose to play through the injury instead of immediately getting surgery. As the Kings have the worst record in the entire NBA, it’s a no-brainer for the former Gonzaga Bulldog to start his healing process as soon as possible, so that he can be ready to go next season. 

The asking price for a player of his caliber will always be steep, but the state of Sacramento’s franchise does have a negative effect on his value. The draft compensation required will be far less than that of some other players who have been traded to teams with contending aspirations, like Mikal Bridges and Desmond Bane, who were traded for four first-round picks each. 

After playing in roughly 23% of the games this season, his value will go down even more than just being on a selling team. He won’t go to a point of negative trade value unless his injury becomes a constant problem for years to come, but the asking price could drop to a singular first-round pick, or even just second-round picks to match Barrett, who the Kings are reported to be interested in. 

Continuity was the theme of general manager Bobby Webster’s unwillingness to make a blockbuster midseason trade. The most highly regarded opinions (including Barnes and Ingram) shared a desire to see what this core can accomplish this season. After missing the playoffs for three years in a row, the 2026 NBA playoffs may be the only opportunity for the role players to prove their worth before the organization goes in a different direction next season.