The Toronto Raptors will be one of many teams that will have the outcome of their collective futures shaped by what goes on in the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. The bounces of a few ping-pong balls will play a vital role in deciding what 2023 will look like.
While landing Victor Wembanyama would be one of the most impressive strokes of good luck the fates have ever bestowed upon this franchise, that is nothing more than a pipe dream that would require the most insane luck falling in their favor. It would be great! Just don’t expect it.
The Raptors are in as unenviable a position as one could hope to be in on lottery night. Not only are they not in a position to make significant moves up the order, but they can only watch and hope that teams with eyes on derailing their plans for short-term success don’t get a fortunate luck of the draw.
The Raptors need to hope that one of these three scenarios does not come to light. The team has enough challenges as it is, and one of their top competitors potentially gaining an edge over them on lottery night would be yet another swift kick in the teeth.
3 NBA Draft Lottery scenarios that hurt the Toronto Raptors.
3. Knicks land pick 11 or 12
The Knicks need to hope that the Dallas Mavericks don’t move too far up in the order. If the Mavericks get a Top 10 pick, the protection on their pick means that Dallas will retain their selection. If it falls just outside of it, the pick falls to the Knicks. Thanks, Kristaps Porzingis.
The Knicks went from an also-ran to a legitimate playoff force this season, with Jalen Brunson emerging as a star they can build around. Anything that helps prop up a division rival is bad for the Raptors, especially the one that was often used as a doormat for some of the more successful Toronto teams in the last decade.
The Knicks getting a pick is bad for the Toronto Raptors.
The Knicks not only would gain the opportunity to acquire a young gun who can supplement a somewhat older roster, but they would gain a very interesting pick that Leon Rose would not think twice about flipping if it meant they could acquire a star player.
The Knicks are dangerous for the first time in a very long time, and that means they will likely do everything they can with all the resources at their disposal to win now. One extra pick coming to them instead of Dallas could help them further block Toronto’s rise to the top of the mountain.
2. The Magic land Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson
Orlando is an ascending young team that already has the Rookie of the Year in Poalo Banchero and a pair of ascending co-stars in Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs. They are also linked to Fred VanVleet, giving them a potential veteran starter that can take them to the next level.
If the Magic get Wembanyama, they will have both frontcourt spots locked down for the next decade, at the very least, all while still holding onto some interesting backcourt pieces. If they nab Henderson (and potentially get him a mentor like VanVleet), the offense could get kicked into high gear instantly.
The Orlando Magic could leapfrog the Toronto Raptors.
Why does this impact the Raptors? Well, Orlando would instantly become a playoff-caliber team if they pull off these moves, further pushing the Raptors out of the mix in what has quickly become a very crowded Eastern Conference picture. One of those two big names could make Orlando a dynamic young team that exceeds the Raptors.
Gone are the days when Raptors fans could start the season with three or four easy wins against a Magic team that kept tripping over their own feet. They have a very solid nucleus, and using either their pick or the Chicago Bulls’ selection could tip the scales in their favor.
1. The Raptors move down
This only has a slight chance of happening, with the New Orleans Pelicans likely going to end up locking in with the No. 14 pick. In the grand scheme of things, this might not mean much. The Pelicans picking the exact player that Toronto was going to draft remains unlikely.
However, if the Raptors wanted to move around the draft order, they would have been dealt a swift kick in the teeth by the ping-pong balls. Toronto slipping in the order ever so slightly could throw a big wrench in whatever they had planned with that pick.
The Toronto Raptors might lose ground in the draft order.
If the Raptors want to move off the No. 14 pick, either to trade down or to move up, that pick is a less desirable asset than No. 13 overall. In a draft with 58 picks, half of which are second-round picks that get traded without a care in the world, that one spot could have tons of value baked into it.
Imagine suffering through all of the bad vibes and all of the difficult losing streaks this season for a pick that is one spot above being out of the lottery, all while missing the postseason. Raptors fandom can be a very tribal place, but this fear should unify all factions.