Could a mini-surge change Raptors’ deadline approach? It shouldn’t

A three-game winning streak.

Imagine. It’s taken the Toronto Raptors until the mid-point of the season to string together three wins. They managed the feat with another convincing win over the Charlotte Hornets, 124-114, to follow up on their solid effort against them on Tuesday. They started the streak with a double-digit win over Portland on Sunday.

They have a chance to extend it on Saturday against Atlanta. A win there would give Toronto an undefeated week and a 4-2 record in a critical six-game homestand. As it is, the Raptors at least guaranteed a 3-3 mark, which looked unlikely when Toronto lost games against Milwaukee and New York to start the six-game segment, the longest stretch of games at Scotiabank Arena this season.

It will be interesting to see how much a mini-surge affects Raptors management as the trade deadline approaches. If the Raptors – who improved to 19-24 – begin putting together a run, will they still entertain trading some of their core players, if only to make sure they get some value for the likes of Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr., who can both be free agents this coming summer?

Or will they sit back, hoping they can catch lightning in a bottle like they did with their strong second half a year ago?

Let’s hope they don’t.