There is plenty of mystery around the Toronto Raptors offseason, specifically who the front office intends on drafting at No. 19 in less than a week's time.
During a press conference held on Tuesday, Raptors assistant general manager Dan Tolzman spoke about offseason plans and their approach heading into the 2026 NBA Draft. TSN Raptors reporter Josh Lewenberg reported that Tolzman mentioned they are looking for a lob threat/rim-protecting big, whether they find that in the draft or free agency, it is a priority.
This shouldn’t come as a shock to any super or casual Raptors fans, as throughout the regular season and playoffs, Toronto desperately needed another presence in the middle. While I don’t overly agree with the Jakob Poeltl hate often shared across social media, he can't be the team's only option at the five going into next season.
With Sandro Mamukelashvili's future in Toronto extremely uncertain, the desire to address the center position carries an added sense of urgency. What stands out most in Tolzman's comments is the archetype lob threat/rim protector, as while this class has a ton of different centers, only a handful of prospects fit that mold.
Limited options in the 2026 NBA draft
The ideal lob threat/rim-protecting big man in this summer class is Michigan big man Morez Johnson Jr., who was the Wolverines' x-factor in their National Championship-winning run. He is an elite play finisher, a good athlete, and a beast defensively who projects to translate immediately to the NBA while offering a ton of long-term upside.
Unfortunately, since the title win and early stages of the draft combine, Johnson’s expected range has shot up from mid-first round to a likely lottery pick. With Johnson off the board likely before Toronto picks and Tolzman saying the team was comfortable at No. 19, he isn’t someone who appears to be an option for the Raptors.
When I hear lob threat/rim-protector, I think of a play-finisher, athletic, shot blocking type, which leaves about two or three options for the Raptors if they look to address that need via the draft. UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr., Kentucky’s Jayden Q, and Arkansas’ Trevon Brazile are the three names that come to mind.
Reed Jr. would be the best selection of the bunch. He is very similar to Knicks center Mitchell Robinson, who has been linked to the Raptors in the past for his high motor, defensive versatility, and elite rebounding ability. Reed Jr. was the man in the middle for the Huskies on their run to the National title game, holding down the paint on both ends, finishing lobs, and being active as hell on the glass.Â
Someone who would struggle to give the Raptors an immediate boost is Jayden Quaintance, but not because he is raw or not ready to be compete at the NBA level—rather, because of his health.
JQ entered the year as a top-five prospect on most people's boards, after a 17-year-old freshman year at Arizona State. Quaintance is an elite-level rim protector with freakish length, making him a high-level rim runner on offense. He checks all the boxes Tolzman's comment suggests Toronto is targeting, but he continues to sink in mocks because of underlying health issues that stem from a torn ACL in 2024-25.
The last option is Arkansas senior Trevon Brazile, who is a very toolsy, athletic, and mature frontcourt piece. Brazile isn’t technically a center but projects to slide into that role in the NBA because of ball-handling limitations. Most mocks have Brazile in the second round from around No. 35 to 50, so taking him in the first 20 picks of the first round would be a reach.
However, when has the consensus ever impacted who the Raptors draft?
Never.
Given the small list of options, it seems more likely Toronto will address this need when free agency opens, but fans should keep their eyes on these three names ahead of next Tuesday’s draft.
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