logo
Raptors weigh trade pitches for No. 9 pick in NBA draft

Raptors weigh trade pitches for No. 9 pick in NBA draft

Part misdirection, part fibbing, some truths only partially told. Welcome to the final days leading up to the NBA draft, and the annual rites of misinformation.
How it ultimately ends up after the
first round of the NBA draft
unfolds Wednesday night is impossible to tell, which is why
the Raptors,
as always, are leaving all avenues open.
Trade? That's a possibility.
Choose for need or best player available? Well, you can talk yourself and fans into thinking the best player available happens to fill a need.
Like the group that's expected to be available
when they choose at No. 9,
if indeed they choose at No. 9? Of course. It's not like anyone would say: 'This group at our slot is full of suspects and no-hopers and we don't like any of them.'
So, take everything said with a grain of salt; it's how everyone approaches the final 48 or so hours before the picks start flying.
True to history and script, Dan Tolzman, Toronto's assistant general manager and vice-president of player personnel, espoused a few theories in his annual chat with the media on Monday, all of which are sure to whet the appetite of fans.
He admitted it's not likely Toronto will move higher than No. 9, but there's more than the usual amount of interest from
teams below them wanting to move up.
And if the Raptors think they can get the guy they want (or a close facsimile) a few pegs down, it'll be trade time.
'I think there's a lot of people that have the same feeling as we do, that the top 10, the (top of the) lottery … is a pretty good place to be,' Tolzman said in his session.
'There's definitely interest in people trying to get our pick, I think for the same reason. I wouldn't say (there's a specific) percentage chance that we do one or the other, but there (are) definitely conversations being had with teams trying to get into the top 10, for the same reason why we like being here right now.'
Aside from
Scottie Barnes (fourth, 2021)
and
Jakob Poeltl (ninth, 2016),
this is the highest the Raptors have been scheduled to pick since they took Terrence Ross eighth in 2012.
The various mock drafts floating around, for what they're worth, have the Raptors linked to a variety of big men to addressing the biggest roster need: a backup centre.
But Tolzman didn't sound at all enthusiastic about the chance of getting a young big man who might be able to help right away, even a bit.
'Actual rotation minutes (for centres) is probably easier to fill in free agency or trade or different scenarios than to actually bank on a draft pick coming in and doing that,' he said. 'If they can do that … that's a perfect scenario. But to make that decision in late June and then hope by October that you're actually getting that production, it's just too hard to plan with that in mind.'
The names that are being bandied about, and have been linked to the Raptors for weeks, are
Duke centre Khaman Maluach,
Maryland centre Derik Queen,
French forward Noa Essengue
from the German league and
South Carolina defensive stalwart Collin Murray-Boyles.
Much will depend on what happens in the top eight selections.
And just because the Raptors haven't have a private session with anyone won't preclude them from being drafted. They didn't have a one-on-one with
first-rounder Ja'Kobe Walter
a year ago; didn't even meet with him at the Chicago pre-draft combine.
It's not like the Raptors would be picking blind.
'It's always the song and dance you do with agents. They're going to tell you their guy's for sure going ahead of us … so they only work out for a certain number of teams,' Tolzman said. 'And then there's another whole group of players who say that we would never consider their guy at nine or wherever, so they don't send them to us because they have to prioritize teams in the range that they think their guy's going to go.
'It is what it is, but … we scout these guys so much during the season that … a workout doesn't really sway you that much.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

"I definitely wouldn't have quit ahead of time" - Jeremy Lin on how he almost decided to give up on the NBA before Linsanity
"I definitely wouldn't have quit ahead of time" - Jeremy Lin on how he almost decided to give up on the NBA before Linsanity

Yahoo

time23 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

"I definitely wouldn't have quit ahead of time" - Jeremy Lin on how he almost decided to give up on the NBA before Linsanity

"I definitely wouldn't have quit ahead of time" - Jeremy Lin on how he almost decided to give up on the NBA before Linsanity originally appeared on Basketball Network. The hardest part about reaching a dream is what happens when it starts slipping through your fingers again and again. Jeremy Lin, before the lead-up to his historic, culture-shifting breakout with the New York Knicks in early 2012, he was in a war of attrition between hope and heartbreak, in which survival often came down to little more than roster spots and who a team thought was expendable. Months before the Linsanity fever echoed across Madison Square Garden, Lin was jobless on Christmas Eve 2011 and caught in a career collapse that had nothing to do with his talent and everything to do with timing. Waived again On Dec. 24, 2011, while awaiting a positive call from the Houston Rockets, where he had an impressive training camp, he got a call that he would be waived. It was a technical decision as they wanted to clear space to sign center Samuel Dalembert. But for Lin, it felt like the end. "It's Christmas — I just got cut and I think my NBA career is over. And two months later was Linsanity," he recalled. "If I didn't have my family there, I wouldn't have made it to Linsanity. I definitely would have quit ahead of time." The Golden State Warriors had already given up on him once. Despite showing flashes of brilliance and having a massive Bay Area fanbase due to his Palo Alto roots and Harvard background, Lin was the casualty of a new regime. The 2011 NBA lockout had upended the usual rhythm of the league, compressing training camps and transactions into chaos. With no time to impress incoming head coach Mark Jackson and an $800,000 contract looming, the Warriors waived Lin on Dec. 9 to clear space for a run at DeAndre Jordan. Just three days later, the Rockets claimed Lin off waivers. But Houston's depth chart at point guard with Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragic and Jonny Flynn all with guaranteed contracts meant that Lin was on the outside looking in again. He played only seven minutes across two preseason games. Barely a blip. At that point, Lin had only appeared in 29 games the previous season, mostly in garbage time. No multi-year contract. No endorsements. Just uncertainty and the ache of being passed over. At 23 years old, he was already cut twice in two weeks. It seemed like he had already gone sprout The Rockets hadn't wanted to let him go, not really. Lin had impressed in training camp. His instincts, work ethic and floor awareness had caught the attention of the coaching staff. But NBA rosters are bound by hard numbers. Fifteen guaranteed contracts left no room for sentiment. So Houston's front office made a phone call. They told Lin's agent to hang tight for 24 hours; if they could move someone, Lin might stay. That day became one of the longest and nerve-wracking for Lin as his future was hanging by a transaction thread. "I'm thinking, 'I had just gotten cut by Golden State. If I get cut again four weeks later, I'm probably done. This is probably the end of my NBA career," Lin said. The Rockets didn't clear the space, and Lin was waived once more, and that's when New York stepped in. The Knicks were short-handed after an injury to rookie guard Iman Shumpert. Their point guard rotation — Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby — was underperforming and they needed depth. They took a flyer on Lin, a no-risk move for a team barely keeping its season alive. For Lin, it was a final thread of hope. He joined the team quietly. No fanfare. Assigned to the Erie BayHawks in the D-League, called back days later, benched, ignored. The Knicks were 8–15, spiraling out of control. Lin didn't play meaningful minutes until Feb. 4, when he scored 25 points against the New Jersey Nets and sparked a seven-game win streak that captivated New York and the world. By mid-February, Lin had become the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first five starts. Ticket sales soared. TV ratings exploded. The Knicks' merchandise became a top seller. In China and Taiwan, Lin's jersey topped the charts. Linsanity became a movement. But it almost never happened. Had the Rockets held onto one extra contract, had the Warriors been slightly more patient or had Lin simply walked away after that second waiver, none of it would have unfolded. There would be no game-winner against the Raptors. No 38-point outburst versus the Los Angeles Lakers. No cultural milestone that gave countless Asian-American kids a reason to story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.

"You play 10 minutes and whatever you do, it's not good enough" - Isaiah Hartenstein reflects on his Nuggets days as Nikola Jokic's replacement
"You play 10 minutes and whatever you do, it's not good enough" - Isaiah Hartenstein reflects on his Nuggets days as Nikola Jokic's replacement

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

"You play 10 minutes and whatever you do, it's not good enough" - Isaiah Hartenstein reflects on his Nuggets days as Nikola Jokic's replacement

"You play 10 minutes and whatever you do, it's not good enough" - Isaiah Hartenstein reflects on his Nuggets days as Nikola Jokic's replacement originally appeared on Basketball Network. The story of how the Denver Nuggets stole Nikola Jokic with the 41st pick and shocked the league after he became a three-time MVP and delivered the franchise its first-ever title is already well-known. As a rookie, he didn't get major minutes right away, as Jusuf Nurkic was ahead of him in the rotation. However, it didn't take long for Michael Malone and his coaching staff to realize the value they had in their big man. But just as Jokic was starting to break out and enter MVP conversations, German center Isaiah Hartenstein was also on the roster. At that time, he didn't bring much long-term potential as he was a role player, just one of many bigs in the Jokic era who didn't get much run behind him. Hartenstein recently reflected on that period in a podcast appearance. "Back when I was in Denver, I kept wondering why I wasn't getting more of a chance," he said. "For every guy who's a backup for Jokic, that's probably the hardest job in the world. You play 10 minutes and whatever you do, it's not good enough compared to when Jokic does it. That was the hardest part. After that, I worked on my mental strength and everything started to get better." "I learned how to pass. I was already good, but the details — how he uses his eyes to direct players... I leveled up because I started seeing the game differently, I learned how to manipulate the game. But he's so smart, his intelligence is off the charts. When we were in the playoffs, he was the coach. He told people where to go, what to do..." Hartenstein ended up winning the direct matchup against Jokic Denver clearly didn't show their expertise in evaluating talent in the frontcourt in Hartenstein's case, as he later became an NBA champion with the Oklahoma City Thunder as their starting center. Hartenstein was the perfect connector between the frontcourt and backcourt, slicing through defenses with his passing and being a beast on the offensive glass. Just how good he's become was evident in a seven-game playoff series against Jokic this year, where he more than held his own. Jokic had the worst three-game stretch of his career, shooting just 19-of-63. Not all of that was because of Hartenstein, of course, but credit must be given as he fought like a warrior and ended up winning the direct matchup against Jokic. Still, the task wasn't easy, as the German admitted that Denver was their toughest challenge in the playoffs. "I think the only series where we were kind of a little bit on the ropes was Denver. Just Jokic, I mean, the way they play. They've been there before. And that was the only series where we were like, even if we do everything right, they probably still have a chance. Every other series, we were like, if we do the right things, we're good," he said. Hartenstein has remained humble Despite not getting a real opportunity in Denver because of Jokic and later eliminating him in the playoffs, Hartenstein has remained humble and even praised Jokic for how much he influenced his game. However, when you look at the numbers, he had career lows, outside of his rookie season, during his 30 games with the Nuggets. Back to the beginning — who knows where the Nuggets would have been had they seen the potential in Hartenstein, a player who can easily play alongside another big. They nailed the Jokic pick, no question, but have struggled to find a reliable backup ever since and it's becoming a clear issue. The arrival of Jonas Valanciunas is a serious move. Still, NBA legend Eddie Johnson believes he's headed down the same road as every other Jokic backup and that he should have returned to Europe. "This is going to get ugly," he stated on his X profile. "Again, he will never say it, but he knows his minutes will be minuscule and the critics will run rampant with the blame game. Basically, come back and play eight mins a game and have these Jokic stat nerds blame you with a plus/minus of how you are failing him. He like I am going to Greece!" It's hard to predict how Valanciunas will look coming off the bench for the Nuggets, but it's even harder to imagine him getting significant minutes, given how much Denver has relied on Jokic since he entered his prime. Hartenstein felt that firsthand, but this season, he got a bit of story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store