It’s no secret anymore that the Toronto Raptors are tanking, and honestly, they absolutely right to do so—I mean we are talking about the highly-touted 2025 NBA Draft class after all.
I'm honestly surprised to see how quickly every tanking franchise shifts the blame to one another while calling each other out for doing the same things. It's actually pretty funny. However, tanking isn't a new issue in the NBA, and it certainly stirs up controversy. There are many more compelling arguments against it than there are in its favor.
In fact, ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton just published a recent article on March 24 titled "Can the NBA fix tanking? Why it's worse this season, plus 5 solutions." And which team is mentioned right at the beginning of the article along with another obvious tanking squad, the Utah Jazz? Well, the Toronto Raptors, of course!
Bontemps and Pelton would state there are two key areas of emphasis in this final lap of the NBA regular season: "...there are two races in the NBA standings: one to secure playoff positioning, and another for the best draft lottery odds."
Why is the fight for the bottom spot so important this season? Bontemps and Pelton highlight in their article:
"But with the combination of Duke star Cooper Flagg -- a generational prospect -- and the usual rebuilding teams (including the Jazz, Raptors and Washington Wizards) joined by several others (the Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans) that have had their seasons cut short because of a series of injuries, the race to the bottom is breaking new ground. "ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Kevin Pelton
We all know Toronto is part of the mix, but they're having a tougher time trying to secure a loss. Despite their efforts to rest their top players and send out their reserves for most games, they still haven't been able to secure a losing outcome. They win and lose here and there, but their tanking strategy hasn't matched up to the more egregious suspects, and the Raptors are facing a bit of a surprise with some breakout performances from unexpected players.
Securing a top three pick in the 2025 NBA Draft would be a major win for Toronto. Currently, their record gives them the 7th best odds for the first overall pick according to the Tankathon rankings. While that's not great news—since they could drop to the 8th pick or stay at 7—the lottery has shown in previous years that anything can happen.
Now, looking at things from the most ideal scenario, let’s assess the prospects of Toronto gaining a top 3 pick in this year’s draft. With that in mind, we’re talking about the addition of one of Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, or Ace Bailey—all very intriguing youngsters with the potential to become foundational pieces for the future.
Adding a top lottery pick would be incredible for the Raptors... but what happens next?
However, there’s a challenge for the Raptors and Masai Ujiri in this situation; he’ll be forced to decide who fits their timeline, especially with the impending debut of Brandon Ingram. While it seems like a dream scenario to have Scottie Barnes, Ingram, one of Flagg, Harper, or Bailey, Immanuel Quickley, maybe RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl—there's only one ball and a limited number of minutes/touches to go around.
As great as these top three rookies are, I think it’d be asking for way too much—and a bit of a stretch—to expect them to be game-changers right off the bat (and yes, I even feel that way about the super hyped-up Cooper Flagg). When the expectations are unrealistic from the start, it can be more detrimental (I just discussed a similar idea with Scottie Barnes). I’d prefer for these prospects to be eased into their roles rather than being forced to be key pieces in a competitive environment.
Don't get it twisted, though; I’m not saying I don't want a top prospect in this class. I think that's ultimately the desire of everyone in Raptors Nation. However, as I mentioned in my most recent piece, the Raptors face a cold, hard truth: they don't necessarily know what their core will look like with Ingram, nor can they dictate how prepared they are for a playoff push so soon into their rebuild.
The team has a solid foundation, and who knows, maybe even with Ingram in the mix, Toronto decides to take one more year to figure things out before finally making a clear-cut decision on direction. But the clock would definitely be ticking—not only in the eyes of Raptors fans but also with an evolving NBA landscape. Time is money, and I don’t see the Toronto Raptors as a franchise willing to play a long waiting game.
They need a crystal-clear direction if everything goes as planned; otherwise, the Raptors might find themselves stuck in purgatory limbo with a clunky roster made up of stars for the future and two stars ready to win now.