Title: NBA Draft Prospects: 5 players the Raptors could select if they trade down or acquire another pick
Date: July 23, 2021
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I took a look at a few potential targets if the Raptors were to trade down in the first round or add an extra pick.
It has been 15 years since the Raptors last had a draft pick as high as No. 4. If the front office sticks to their edict of believing winning is an important part of development and culture-building, it will be a while before they pick this high again.
You can be of two minds on this rare situation for the franchise.
On the one hand, it feels paramount to get a top player at No. 4. That’s reductive, but the Raptors leaned into the skid of a lost season this year for the purposes of improving their draft odds, then found some good fortune on lottery night. Overthinking that good fortune can be dangerous. In what’s perceived as a four-star draft, jumping into the top four is huge. This is the team’s last chance, for a while at least, to add a meaningful piece to the core through a high draft pick.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 