Though the Toronto Raptors were very active before the trade deadline last week, acquiring forward Serge Ibaka from the Orlando Magic and forward P.J. Tucker from the Phoenix Suns.

However, that all might be for naught now, as the Raptors got news on Tuesday that star point guard Kyle Lowry will have surgery on his right wrist and may not be ready to return until the playoffs, according to ESPN.com.

That's devastating for a team that is currently jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Raptors currently hold the No. 3 seed in the East with a 36-24 overall record - half a game ahead of the Washington Wizards and two games behind the second-place Boston Celtics.

The season isn't lost, as the Raptors will still likely cruise to a top-five seed, but the road just got a lot tougher for the Raptors. Still, there are a couple of ways they can try to stay afloat while they wait for their leader to return.

DeMar DeRozan must do even more

DeRozan is already playing at an All-Star level for the Raptors, averaging 27.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, he's going to miss playing with Lowry, who in addition to being his best friend, is also the perfect complement to his game.

DeRozan now must carry even more of the load for the Raptors, who need a leader on the floor. DeRozan can provide that leadership both offensively and defensively, but his numbers will need to increase, too.

DeRozan has averaged 37.7 points per game in the last three games without Lowry, all victories, but he'll need to continue scoring at that pace to keep the Raptors competitive.

If DeRozan struggles on any given night, the Raptors will probably lose - those are the facts without Lowry. However, if he plays like he's been playing lately, Toronto can continue to rack up important victories.

Get Serge Ibaka the ball behind the arc

No one is going to replace Lowry's three-point acumen. After all, he has made 185 shots from behind the arc this year, good for the fifth-most threes in the league.

Still, the Raptors have plenty of adept three-point shooters, including the recently added Ibaka, who hits 38.6 percent of his long-distance shots.

Ibaka only attempts four threes per game at this point, but if the Raptors are going to survive without Lowry, he'll need to shoot a couple more per contest while still maintaining his impressive conversion rate.

Though not having Lowry to feed him the ball will hurt, Ibaka hasn't played much with Lowry since the trade, so he'll rely on DeRozan to drive to the hoop and kick it out for open threes.

If DeRozan and Ibaka can become the new dynamic duo for the Raptors, they should be able to maintain one of the top four playoff positions in the Eastern Conference.

However, that's easier said than done, so everyone in Toronto will be hoping for a speedy recovery for their All-Star point guard.