The Toronto Raptors shot the lights out in a 145-127 win Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors in Chase Center. Toronto made a season-high 21 three-pointers in the offensive shootout and shot 62% from three in the process. Immanuel Quickley was the star of the show, contributing the most efficient 40-point game of all time with 40 points and 10 assists on 112.1% true shooting. 

Toronto was again without both RJ Barrett (ankle) and Jakob Poeltl (back), two of the three most notable names heading into the trade deadline on Feb. 5th. Quickley may have done enough against the Warriors to prove why he shouldn’t be traded, while Barrett and Poeltl cannot do much to help their case on the sidelines. 

Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (5) | © David Gonzales-Imagn Images

After the win, second-year guard Jamal Shead had significant praise for the media about Barrett. 

“RJ [Barrett]’s a big part of how good this offense is; he’s a big part of how good this team is,” said Shead. “A very unselfish dude, but an unselfish dude that can average 20 (points per game) … He adds a different aspect to us, especially on the offensive side, but also on the defensive side. I think people underestimate how good of a defensive player RJ has been all year.”

Unfortunately, due to Barrett’s lack of games played this season (23), he doesn’t qualify for advanced stats on the defensive side. So, it’s unable to prove his quality as a defender from a statistical standpoint with such a small sample size. 

However, the Raptors’ record is especially bright when Barrett is active compared to not. Since Halloween, the former No. 3 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft has played in 18 games, and Toronto has gone 15-3 in those games. In the remaining 22 games that Barrett was out, the Raptors' record is just 10-12. 

Of the trio, including Barrett, Quickley, and Poeltl, the contract that is the most favorable for the Raptors' long-term future is that of the former Duke Blue Devil. He is set to make just north of $53 million guaranteed over the next two years, which may be too much for a player who has missed 70 games over the last two and a half seasons. However, when you take into consideration that Poeltl and Quickley are under contract through at least 2029, it’s much safer to get them off the books than to ride it out and see whether they fulfill the production assumed based on their expensive contracts. 

Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) and guard Immanuel Quickley (5) | © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

This is especially important due to the rise in stock for Shead and rookie lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles. These are two players who have shown tremendous upside rapidly and potentially can fulfill the roles of Quickley and Poeltl for a fraction of the price. Quickley’s career game may cause general manager Bobby Webster to pause when considering him in trade talks, but in reality, outliers will come and go. One game out of his 113 that he’s played in a Raptors uniform should not prevent Webster from acquiring assets to better their financial flexibility moving forward.