The Toronto Raptors entered the draft lottery hoping to receive a Top 4 pick or, at the very least, stay put at No. 7. Instead, they dropped two spots and ended up with the ninth overall pick.
Fortunately for the Toronto Raptors, they have historically selected well in this draft position several times, so team president Masai Ujiri wasn’t perturbed when the ping-pong balls decided their fate.
“Tracy McGrady. DeMar DeRozan. Jakob Poeltl…We’ll be fine. I guarantee you we’ll be fine,” Ujiri said via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has the Toronto Raptors going with Noa Essengue from Ratiopharm Ulm in his mock draft, especially since the team must make some frontcourt decisions this summer.
Toronto Raptors News: Masai Ujiri shares expectations for the team in 2025-26
Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri expects his team to improve next season. They missed out on a play-in tournament spot after finishing the 2024-25 regular season with a 30-52 record.
“Continue to grow as a team,” Ujiri said. “Everybody make a jump and see. Get BI (Ingram) back healthy and see how we all gel together. I think it’ll be great.”
The Toronto Raptors traded Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and two future draft picks in exchange for Brandon Ingram last February. However, the one-time NBA All-Star has yet to suit up for the franchise due to a serious ankle injury.
