Insider Brian Windhorst On What "The Whole League Is Watching" As Feb. 9th Nears

ESPN's NBA Insider Brian Windhorst is usually pretty connected to what's going on behind-the-scenes around team front offices when it comes to possible trades and player moves. And he's revealed just what it is that "the whole league is watching" as we now sit just two weeks out from the trade deadline:

"The Raptors have just begun a 7-game Western road trip. That is what the whole league is watching because they have kind of indicated they're gonna wait until the last week before the trade deadline before they decide which direction they're gonna go."

— Brian Windhorst pic.twitter.com/fMZgszAJt1

— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) January 26, 2023

Speaking of the team north of the border, Windhorst said, "The (Toronto) Raptors have just begun a 7-game Western road trip. That is what the whole league is watching because they have kind of indicated they're gonna wait until the last week before the trade deadline before they decide which direction they're gonna go.

"If they go on this trip and get bashed around and fall out of the playoff race, maybe they're looking to sell—maybe VanVleet's on the market. If they go on this trip and do really well, maybe they're looking to BUY in a week and a half... I don't think the Raptors know yet."

If one game counts, the scale could be tipping towards the latter, as the Dinos demolished the West's No. 3 seeded Sacramento Kings, 113-95. But that still leaves them at 22-27, a full five games back of the last true playoff spot in the East, and one game back of the play-in. But as team president Masai Ujiri has often said: "Play-in for what? We want to win championships here."

Photo Credit: ESPN