Latest news with #DanTolzman
Hamilton Spectator
8 hours ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
How the Raptors deal with NIL's impact on the NBA draft
The Raptors are facing a dwindling pool of possibilities with their second-round pick in this week's NBA draft because of the financial realities of college basketball these days. The NCAA's NIL system — where players get paid because of the rights they have to their own name, image and likeness — has cut the number of underclassmen who enter the draft. And that hits the Raptors as they mull the 39th pick (ninth in the second round) on Thursday night. 'It's obvious that it has impacted it a lot,' Dan Tolzman, Raptors assistant general manager and vice-president of player personnel, said Monday. 'Where in the past that was a pretty good contract for a kid in college to stay in the draft, now with NIL it's pretty much comparable to what they could get and stay in college.' The chance to work on their game and get paid like an NBA second-rounder without any of the pressure or expectation has to be attractive to a teenager. Schools benefit by having players for at least another year; the NBA loses (at least a bit) because they can't get a young, developmental piece as easily as they did. 'We're looking at maybe a little bit older group of players than what we normally do, and that's not a bad thing,' Tolzman said. 'A lot of those guys can come in and contribute from Day 1.' The Raptors aren't as bothered as some other teams because they aren't fazed by late-career collegians hitting development plateaus. 'I would say we try to just get the guys that we think still have some upside, and some of those four-year guys that we've taken, we see some potential in a different environment with a little more development work,' Tolzman said. 'And I don't think that would change any now. 'It just comes down to, yeah, maybe now there's less of those young development project guys that'll be available at 39, because a lot of those guys are now going back for a second or third year in college first before taking the jump.'
Global News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Global News
Assistant GM likes ninth overall pick for Raptors
TORONTO – The 2025 NBA draft class has been billed as one of the most talented in years. But for Dan Tolzman, assistant general manager of the Toronto Raptors, there's potential in every draft. Tolzman spoke to media Monday about Toronto's options with the ninth pick in Wednesday's first round and the 39th pick in Thursday's second round. 'We liked last year's draft, too. It's such an eye-of-the-beholder thing,' said Tolzman at OVO Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto. 'I think this is a very strong draft. I think it's maybe a little deeper just in terms of guys who can come in and impact right away, but I just think drafts are like this every year. 'This year I feel like we like where we're at, and we're focusing on that more so than what a normal draft looks like or previous drafts looked like. I would say it's a range that we like a lot.' Story continues below advertisement The Dallas Mavericks have the first-overall pick and it's almost a guarantee that they will take Duke University forward Cooper Flagg. Seven other players will get picked before the Raptors have their turn at the dais at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Wednesday. It's expected that Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel, Jeremiah Fears, and Khaman Maluach will all be within the top eight selections, but in what order is still unknown. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Tolzman wasn't counting on any one player being a sure thing, except Flagg. 'There's always a chance of one, maybe two guys, sneaking in there that changes things up a little bit,' he said. 'It does seem like, at least, if I'm reading all the stuff online, and the public stuff and the sources, that it seems like there's eight players that are being named to go ahead of us. Story continues below advertisement 'If it goes that way, I'd actually be really surprised. It doesn't seem like any draft ever goes the way that it says it does to begin with.' Trading to move up or down in the draft order is still a possibility, but Tolzman said the Raptors like holding a top-10 pick. 'There's definitely interest in people trying to get our pick, I think for the same reason,' said Tolzman. 'It's an interesting group of players around there. 'I wouldn't say (there's an) any-percentage chance that we do one or the other, but there (are) definitely conversations being had of teams trying to get into the top 10 for the same reason why we like being here right now.' The Raptors' second round pick, which originally belonged to the Portland Trail Blazers, was acquired by Toronto at last year's draft in a deal with the Sacramento Kings. Tolzman said the 39th overall selection will be helpful to add mature depth to Toronto's roster, as the ability for NCAA players to receive compensation for use of their personal brand have made it more lucrative for younger U.S. collegiate stars to stay in school rather than turn pro. 'We're looking at maybe a little bit older group of players than what we normally do,' said Tolzman of the early second round 'And that's not a bad thing. Story continues below advertisement 'A lot of those guys can come in and contribute from Day 1, just because they're more closer to being NBA ready.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2025.
National Post
11 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Raptors executive talks this week's NBA draft, Brandon Ingram trade and more
The wildest thing about seven-game NBA Finals series is that nobody has time to take a breath before the pages turn, flipping one season to another. Article content Just two days after league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the victorious Oklahoma City Thunder lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy, some of the potential new faces of the NBA gather in New York for media availabilities, followed by the draft on Wednesday and Thursday. Article content Article content Article content The Toronto Raptors have been hard at work prepping for the draft for some time (they first laid eyes on some of the prospects when they were early in their high-school careers) and assistant general manager Dan Tolzman answered media questions about the crop on Monday afternoon at the team's practice facility. Article content Toronto is slated to pick ninth and 39th. Dallas is expected to take Duke phenom Cooper Flagg first, Rutgers guard Dylan Harper should go second to San Antonio, but after that, it's wide open. Article content Here's a sampling of what was covered by Tolzman: Article content Article content ON THIS YEAR'S CROP BEING BETTER THAN LAST? Article content 'Not necessarily. We liked last year's draft, too. It's such an eye-of-the-beholder thing,' Tolzman said on Monday afternoon. Article content 'I think this is a very strong draft. I think it's maybe a little deeper just in terms of guys who can come in and impact right away. But I just think drafts are like this every year. You convince yourself that there's either a ton of talent up top and and not much elsewhere. This year I feel like we like where we're at and we're kind of focusing on that more so than what a normal draft look like or previous drafts look like.' Article content Tolzman said there has been a lot of interest in teams trying to trade for their lottery pick, but didn't indicate any move is close. He also said it's possible Toronto trades for another mid-round pick if a guy they've ranked highly is still on the board. Article content Article content He added they were thrilled to land Ja'Kobe Walter, who they expected to go far higher, at 19 last year. It could be prospects who think they won't last until nine skipping, or others thinking they will be taken a lot later that didn't want to waste a valuable visit on an unlikely landing spot, but it happens every year. He said workouts aren't the be-all. end-all (Walter didn't come in for either a workout or have a meeting with the Raptors at the draft combine) as long as they have good intel on the player like they did with Walter. Article content 'We scout these guys so much during the season that what a workout does, doesn't really sway you that much,' Tolzman said. Article content 'There's a lot of guys who don't think they'll be on the board at nine. And if they happen to be, we're gonna consider them just like we would have had they been here (for a workout).' Article content 'It doesn't seem like there's many options out there, at least to move up. I think there's a lot of people that have the same feeling as we do that the top 10, the lottery, whatever, is a pretty good place to be,' said Tolzman, who has been with the Raptors since 2013. Article content 'It's an interesting group of players around there. I wouldn't say (there's an) any-percentage chance that we do one or the other, but there (are) definitely conversations being had of teams trying to get into the top 10 for the same reason as why we like being here right now.'
