We had a few surprising pre-draft trades go down before tonight’s draft festivities: veteran Jrue Holiday was dealt to Portland, CJ McCollum will be joining Washington, Jordan Poole is headed to New Orleans, and a three-team deal brought Boston closer to below the luxury tax by parting ways with Kristaps Porzingis, who heads to the Atlanta Hawks.
Who knows what still lies ahead before 8 p.m. tonight — perhaps it’s just the appetizer to something bigger. If that’s the case, hopefully the Toronto Raptors will jump into the trade action with a move that could work out in their favor.
But speaking of the Raptors’ fate, their expected selection in the 2025 NBA Draft remains the ninth overall pick at the time of writing, despite rumors circulating in recent weeks suggesting they’re exploring options — whether moving down or using the pick to acquire a significant player upgrade.
Although it’s safe to assume now that after the Wizards-Pelicans transaction, New Orleans (who hold the 7th pick) is lining up to draft Duke’s Khaman Maluach. He has been considered, by many fans, as a top prospect for Toronto’s draft choice for quite some time.
Recent trades likely push Khaman Maluach further from Toronto’s reach
Adding Jordan Poole to the Pelicans' core addresses one element of their needs, but their requirement for adequate center depth (beyond talented 2024 draft pick Yves Missi) remains evident. Additionally, the Pelicans included Kelly Olynyk in that deal. While he isn’t the strongest big man, he was one of the few other bigs in their rotation. This move suggests they’re likely planning to address that loss through the draft.
I believe that the majority of Raptors Nation, and even those in the front office, have kept their hopes high that Maluach might somehow fall into their hands at ninth overall. It makes sense, as Maluach is undoubtedly the most talented center in the talent pool, and the Raptors could really use some young blood at that position.
With New Orleans and Brooklyn ahead of them, there is a strong possibility they recognize the upside and intrigue Maluach offers before Toronto can swoop in to steal a gem.
I think Brooklyn could dabble in the thought of finding a future building block in Khaman Maluach at the center position, despite having solid bigs like Day’Ron Sharpe and Nic Claxton right now. However, I would think that Brooklyn would close in on a draft move that strengthens their offense first, perhaps to take talented Texas scorer Tre Johnson at the eighth pick.
But in New Orleans, I think their recent trade was a clear indicator; the Khaman Maluach dream for Toronto has all but slipped away.