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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - It's not a popular reality amongst a large portion of the fan base at this time of year, with most people clamouring for big moves, but it's important to remember: you can't make the deal that's not out there to be made, no matter how hard you try.

Searching for an upgrade at the power forward position, the Raptors kicked the tires on just about every player that was rumoured to be available, and then some, according to sources, but the price for most of them proved too steep and, in the end, Masai Ujiri decided it best to stand pat.

"There was nothing there good enough for us, we felt," Ujiri said shortly after Thursday's 3pm Eastern NBA trade deadline. "Anything that was good enough we felt, we just didn't want to give up the future of our team for any of the stuff that was out there."

Despite their efforts, the Raptors' general manager does not believe they were especially close to getting anything done, and clearly he wasn't alone. This season's deadline turned out to be one of the quietest in recent years, as some around the league had anticipated leading up to it, leaving Toronto - and other teams looking to buy - without a dancing partner.

Timing is everything and the first thing to consider is that this was a seller's market. With 30 games remaining, there are fewer teams that feel they're out of it. 13 of the 15 Eastern Conference teams and 11 of the 15 out West are either in a playoff spot or within 5.5 games of one. No, there aren't many that can reasonably consider themselves contenders in the class of Golden State, San Antonio and maybe Oklahoma City and Cleveland, but squeezing into the playoffs - and perhaps even winning a round - seems conceivable to a number of clubs on the outside looking in.

Bad teams that have given up hope and are looking to sell off their remaining assets for future gain (picks, prospects) are the lifeblood of the deadline. Having as many of them out there as possible is important for facilitating big moves. On Thursday, some of the biggest names that were reportedly on the block - Atlanta's Al Horford, Chicago's Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson, Houston's Dwight Howard - belonged to playoff teams that chose not to gut their rosters. Why would they?

Then there was the undeniable impact of this summer's looming salary cap spike and an off-season that will completely alter the way in which teams value their players.

"People are not sure, people really don't know what to expect next year," Ujiri admitted. "Do you preserve your assets and wait until the actual showdown comes? To me it really showed. There were no typical big deals, not many chances taken so I think teams look at that uncertainty that comes with what's going to come in the summer."

All of that, in addition to limitations within its salary structure - discussed here last week - predictably restricted Toronto's options. The core of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry was not for sale. Neither was DeMarre Carroll. Moving Jonas Valanciunas or Terrence Ross - both 'poison pill' players until this summer - would have been difficult. To match the salary of the players they expressed interest in, the Raptors put the contracts of Patrick Patterson ($6.3-million) and James Johnson ($2.5) on the table with one of the four first-round picks they own over the next two drafts. They didn't have much more to offer, meaning they were limited in the amount of money they could take back.

At that point the question became, what are these players, these possible upgrades at the four worth to them? Are they worth the expected lottery and likely top-10 pick they'll get from either the Knicks or Nuggets this summer, a valuable commodity which most teams asked for? Are they worth depleting your depth? Acquiring the likes of Gasol, Gibson, Brooklyn's Thaddeus Young or New Orleans' Ryan Anderson would have required both, at minimum. Tempting Atlanta into letting Horford go would have cost even more.

As the GM of the East's second-best team, Ujiri is faced with a window of opportunity, one he considered when making his decision but also one other teams had in the back of their minds as the deadline neared. There are 8-10 teams in the conference that know they could see Toronto in the first or second round of the playoffs. Why risk giving them any kind of advantage?

The Raptors are a very good team but, truth is, there's still a big gap between them and the Cavaliers, and a chasm between them and the three elite teams in the West. One trade won't change that, particularly the ones that were out there, and Ujiri knows it.

"Yeah you play with that in your mind a little bit but I just don't think we're there yet as a team, as a ball club," Ujiri said. "We've got good momentum coming in here but we're a good team in the East and we want to keep plugging along and figure out the playoffs. But if you want to make that big jump it means that you're going to have to give up something. One, there was no deal really that came to us in that calibre and secondly, it would be tough to mortgage our future."

If a player is being made available at the deadline there's a reason for it. The biggest names to move this week were disgruntled Suns forward Markief Morris - who the Raptors were never interested in - and the Magic's Tobias Harris, whose contract they wouldn't have been able to absorb.

"You're always looking to make your team better but it's something I look to do in the summer more than at the trade deadline, if you're trying to build long-term, in my opinion," Ujiri continued. "We believe we have a lot of... I hate calling players and picks assets... but our picks are assets and I feel we can use them better in the summer, maybe in the draft and see how that goes."

Regrettably, the Raptors chose not to make a move at last year's deadline before ultimately flaming out down the stretch and into the post-season, where they were swept from the first round. However, Ujiri hasn't exactly been sitting on his hands since then. He addressed the team's primary concerns during the summer, signing one of the league's most sought-after free agents in Carroll and overhauling the second unit.

Sometime over the next month or so, they expect to welcome back the injured Carroll, who has been out with a knee ailment. He's played in just 23 games, very few of them at 100 per cent. Although there's still no timetable for his return, he is beginning to ramp up his rehab, taking jump shots before games, and is believed to progressing in the right direction. If healthy - and it's a big if - the versatile and two-way forward could be their big late-season addition, as much or more so than any of the players that were actually acquired on deadline day.

As for what's next, it's on this group Ujiri has assembled to figure it out. He has preached patience since taking over as Toronto's GM and in many respects it has paid off. The Raptors are on a short list of stable franchises in the East and throughout the NBA. Patience and the internal growth that often goes along with it has allowed Lowry and DeRozan to blossom into All-Stars, Valanciunas and Ross to take the next step and the team, as a whole, to achieve success thanks in large part to its chemistry and continuity, from coach Dwane Casey on down. However, patience - like any of the deals they chose not to make - can also be a risk, as they learned last season.

No, judgement day was not Feb. 18, despite what some of the team's more impatient fans would have you believe. They will be judged by what they accomplish in the playoffs. That will determine their fate and, ultimately, which direction Ujiri takes the franchise from here.

This was just another day.