In the lead-up to the trade deadline, the Toronto Raptors were frequently mentioned as a potential landing spot for several high-profile centers. However, those possibilities never materialized.
Anthony Davis ultimately ended up in Washington, Domantas Sabonis remained with the Kings in Sacramento, and Toronto found the asking prices for more attainable big men to be prohibitive.
Sources indicated that the cost to acquire players such as Day’Ron Sharpe from the Nets or Goga Bitadze from the Magic was considered “unrealistically high,” as reported by Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.
That reality shaped Toronto’s measured approach to the deadline.
“I think, at this point, with this group, we didn’t want to chase,” general manager Bobby Webster said of the Raptors’ approach to the trade deadline.
“We didn’t want to be in a situation where you felt like you were overpaying. We’re still on the upward climb … we’ve had a pretty positive start; the group is coming together. There will be a time where we’re gonna push in and consolidate and add some picks, but we just felt the prices at this point were a little high for us.”
Rather than forcing a move, the front office chose patience, believing the team is still progressing and not yet at the stage where sacrificing assets made sense.
Despite the public links to numerous centers, Webster revealed after the deadline that one of Toronto’s primary pursuits flew largely under the radar.
During an appearance on Sportsnet 590 The Fan (Twitter audio link), he offered a surprising note: “I’d probably say the one big thing we went after wasn’t even reported.”
That comment sparked speculation about what the Raptors may have quietly explored.
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, there was some internal buzz suggesting Toronto attempted to make a move for Jazz center Walker Kessler.
Utah has shown little interest in parting with the fourth-year big man, which may explain why talks went nowhere.
If Kessler truly remains on Toronto’s radar, the Raptors could revisit the idea when he reaches restricted free agency this summer, though their limited salary-cap flexibility would make any pursuit difficult.
Raptors Notes: Kessler, Jackson-Davis, CP3, Martin, Poeltl https://t.co/f5IyXqvd41 pic.twitter.com/HYvws4zM9x
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) February 8, 2026
