The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery just took place in Chicago, and let's just say, it wasn't pretty for Raptors Nation.
With Raptors President Masai Ujiri in attendance to represent the team, he sat anxiously alongside 12 other representatives, patiently waiting to see which draft positions they would hold come the highly anticipated June 25 draft night.
The envelopes were opened, and the outcome was absolutely stunning.
In a surprising twist—though perhaps not to the most bold conspiracy theorists—it was the Dallas Mavericks who won the lottery, earning the coveted first overall pick in this year's draft.
And with that, Dallas can boast the biggest prize. They have succesfully captured the Flagg, with the highly touted Duke prospect Cooper Flagg a certified lock to go first overall. This result is completely absurd to take in, especially considering the shocking events that already took Dallas by storm earlier this year. Of course, I’m referring to the league-shattering Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade that took place in February.
But that's beside the point. I'm here to discuss where the Raptors' draft lottery journey led them, and, unfortunately, Toronto ended up with a disappointing result. They dropped from their expected 7th position down two spots to the 9th overall selection—their second-worst outcome, second only to slipping all the way to the 10th pick.
Raptors drop to 9th overall pick after 2025 NBA Draft Lottery
The Toronto Raptors organization must be gutted by that result — I certainly am.
The 7th overall pick wasn't exactly a glorious thought to begin with, especially considering the growing pains and countless hurdles Toronto faced throughout their tumultuous 2024-25 campaign. Yet, that 7th spot would have been a far better outcome than what ultimately materialized.
The 9th pick feels like a mediocre consolation prize, and Masai Ujiri's demeanor—or rather, his lack of any visible reaction—at the reveal only underscores how severe this disappointing development truly is.
No franchise ever wants to be in these kinds of positions, falling down from where they should've been to an even more lackluster spot, but knowing the outcast that Toronto can be as opposed to their American counterparts; there's also a part of me that isn't all that shocked to see this result play out.
After months and months of the regular season, during which Toronto was doing everything possible—without crossing any obvious or punishable lines—to improve their lottery odds, what is there really to celebrate about ending up with the 9th overall pick?
I’m not discounting the talent that could be available at that spot, but even for Toronto’s potential targets in the later lottery, like Khaman Maluach or Derik Queen, there’s a pretty high chance both gentlemen are taken before the 9th pick is called.
As tough as it is for the Raptors right now, thankfully, the franchise—especially Masai Ujiri—has a reputation for facing adversity head-on and making the most of any situation.
Maybe this is just another moment where the Raptors' fighting spirit needs to come through and they have to do their best to squeeze something out of what seems like bad luck from the basketball gods. Or else, if Masai Ujiri can't deliver with the pressure mounting, his job could very well be at stake.