Jake Fischer consistently delivers the latest league insights in his "The People's Insider" column for Marc Stein's Substack. In the most recent edition from June 16, Fischer discussed the Toronto Raptors, a team that has been buzzing in rumors for their potential interest in taking a gamble on Kevin Durant, one of this summer's hottest trade targets.
I previously discussed how recent developments highlighted Toronto's player assets open on the market, including their starting point guard, Immanuel Quickley.
Aside from the array of players Toronto could leverage to entice a rival franchise in a trade, they also hold the 9th overall pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft, which is just over a week away. When the Raptors fell to that spot in the lottery, I mentioned that it wasn’t the most ideal outcome for them, especially considering the multitude of obstacles they faced throughout the year.
Unfortunately, the adversity didn’t quite pay off in the way they might have hoped.
But, that’s just the cutthroat nature of basketball.
Shortly afterward, I pointed out that Toronto should consider trading out of the 9th spot — whether by moving up and sacrificing more to secure a higher pick, or moving down if it meant adding a noteworthy roster member to help elevate their core in the meantime.
Raptors’ 9th overall pick in 2025 NBA Draft is expected to be traded
Well, Fischer would revisit this point later in his column, where he stated:
"The Raptors' No. 9 pick is also increasingly viewed as perhaps the most likely top-10 pick in the draft to be traded. My sense is that Toronto would prefer to simply trade down rather than trade out of the first-round completely. Perhaps there is some swap potential in a deal with Phoenix and the Suns' No. 29 overall selection."Jake Fischer, June 16, 2025
Despite the wealth of talent that could still be available at ninth overall, I believe it's pretty much a no-brainer that Toronto would be willing to sacrifice that pick if it means acquiring a win-now player like Kevin Durant.
With the Orlando Magic making a huge splash to bolster their status in the Eastern Conference, I'm sure Masai Ujiri and his team aren’t far behind, aiming to complete their own major transaction — likely at a more affordable price akin to the Brandon Ingram deal.
Whether it's Kevin Durant or another deal that elevates the Raptors to a prime position, their 9th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft could be the cherry on top. With that in mind, I completely understand if Raptors Nation is starting to feel a bit giddy in anticipation of what lies ahead.