The Toronto Raptors' hunt for a dynamic floor general nearly landed Trae Young before the deadline.
The Toronto Raptors returned to the playoffs in 2025-26 and pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the first round. It was an encouraging step forward for a franchise that has spent the past several seasons rebuilding around a younger core. But the season also revealed the team lacked a true primary offensive player capable of consistently creating offense in the halfcourt against elite defenses like Cleveland’s.
Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, and RJ Barrett all delivered strong individual campaigns in 2025-26. Ingram led the team at 21.5 points per game, Barrett followed at 19.3, and Barnes averaged 18.1 points to go with a team-high 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
Yet despite the talent on the wing, Toronto often struggled to generate quality offense, particularly when games slowed down. Opposing defenses frequently loaded up on Barnes and Ingram, and the Raptors lacked a natural floor general to organize the offense and create easier scoring opportunities.
While the Raptors continue to navigate the offseason, a new report revealed the franchise were close to acquiring another All-Star in February.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, Toronto had real interest in Trae Young before the trade deadline.
“I had another call today with someone intimately aware on what unfolded with Trae Young in February,” Fischer said. “The only team outside of Washington that really had talks with Atlanta before the trade deadline was Toronto.”
Young was ultimately traded from Atlanta to Washington on January 9, in a deal that sent CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert to the Hawks, ending his nearly eight-season run in Atlanta. It was a rare player-for-players trade with no draft compensation attached, closing the book on a partnership that began when Young was selected fifth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Young is averaging 25.1 points and 9.8 assists in his career, one of the few active players boasting a near double-double stat line. His performance dipped in his final season in Atlanta largely due to a sprained MCL, which he sustained in October.
Washington had been monitoring Young’s situation since the previous offseason ended without an extension, Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said the team acquired Young specifically to be their floor general, and Young himself confirmed he wanted to be traded to the Wizards once he learned a move was coming.
But Young’s situation in Washington is quite complicated. He has a June 23 deadline to exercise his $48.9 million player option for 2026-27, the same day as the NBA Draft, where Washington holds the No. 1 overall pick. He is widely expected to sign a new extension with the Wizards this summer, though Washington appears to be weighing all of its options.
If negotiations between both parties stall, it won’t be surprising to see the Raptors emerge as a potential suitor for Young.
