Should the Toronto Raptors trade up for a lottery pick?

As the 2015 NBA draft creeps closer, many pundits have begun speculating which prospect the Toronto Raptors will select with the 20th pick. Popular thought dictates that they will go with either a power forward or a small forward to fill current or inevitable future voids on the roster. Rather than take a risk on a mid-first round player, should the Raptors go for broke and try to trade up to a higher pick?

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There are a few intriguing power forwards and small forwards in the lottery. The big difference between these guys and the players the Raptors could select with the 20th pick tends to be assurance. Late-first round picks are often extremely athletic players with high upside who are not ready to play in the NBA immediately. They are guys who are raw and still have a lot to figure out. Many of them do, but others don’t.

Lottery picks tend to be players who have a more solidified game. These players are more likely to make an impact in the NBA right away. GM’s often know what they are going to get with lottery players, which offers partial assurance that there will be some return on the effort put in to acquiring the pick.

For the Raptors, trading up really depends on if there is a player in this draft class GM Masai Ujiri deems worth giving up current talent for. The Raps do have some tradable commodities in Terrence Ross, Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson and a few other bench contributors. Ujiri already said he will be making big changes this summer, so it could make sense that the draft would be the place to start.

Stanley Johnson, a small forward out of Arizona, could be a worthwhile target for the Raptors. Johnson is big, athletic player with strong defensive chops. He seems to have a great motor, so he could be an instant asset for the Raps as head coach Dwane Casey looks to improve his team’s energy on defensive. Johnson is slotted to be drafted with the 9th or 10th pick, so he wouldn’t come cheep.

At power forward, Wisconsin standout Frank Kaminsky is an impossibly alluring prospect. Kaminsky had a huge college career, characterized by his grit and determination on defence and his ability to spread the floor with 3-pointers on offence. In that respect, Kaminsky would fit in with Toronto’s gameplan instantly. He is a talented player with extremely polished skills. His ceiling isn’t too high because of his relative lack of strength and athleticism, but he will be able to make an impact on any NBA team immediately. Kaminsky will be taken somewhere between the 11th and 15th pick.

At this point, Ujiri has yet to give any indication of what he will do. That being said, it would not be terribly surprising to see him decide to make a splash. The Raps could use a young contributor, especially considering Bruno Caboclo‘s extended timeline.

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