3 Toronto Raptors who need to watch their back for being replaced in the draft

No. 1: Jakob Poeltl could be replaced by Zach Edey, Purdue

The Toronto Raptors spent a lot to trade for Jakob Poeltl. They are not going to want to trade Jakob Poeltl. They probably should trade Jakob Poeltl. They probably won't trade Jakob Poeltl.

That tension doesn't have to be resolved by the time of the draft, because the Raptors need a backup center no matter what they decide to do or not do with Jakob Poeltl. Chris Boucher is not the answer, Precious Achiuwa is on the New York Knicks and Jontay Porter is banned from the league. It's almost a lock that the Raptors will address the center position through the draft.

Zach Edey is an obvious candidate for Toronto to consider given his size, rim protection and the front office's love for Canadian players. The 7'5" center could be Poeltl's understudy and eventually replace him, whether that's this summer or in three years. Edey looks like one of the players most difficult to predict in the draft as teams have such polarizing opinions on his NBA viability, so he could be long gone by the 19th pick or he could fall to the Raptors at 31.

There are other big men likely to be available with the 19th pick that the Raptors could consider as their backup center as well. Kel'el Ware of Indiana is the cleanest copy of Dereck Lively II in the draft for teams trying to copy what the Dallas Mavericks just pulled off, while Yves Missi is raw but incredibly athletic. DaRon Holmes of Dayton is older but his combination of skills and size could mean a long-term starter or a player without enough impact in one area to stick in a rotation.

Other candidates: Kel'el Ware, Indiana; DaRon Holmes, Dayton; Yves Missi, Baylor