NBA Rumors: Raptors Could Field ‘Serious’ Trade Offer for Draft’s Top 2nd-Round Pick

Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVJune 5, 2024

Nick Lachance/Toronto Star via Getty Images

The Toronto Raptors reportedly could see “serious” interest in the No. 31 pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic reported the Raptors are in prime position with the draft moving to two days. Whereas teams used to have just minutes to reach a deal between the first and second rounds, Toronto will now have an entire overnight period to field calls.

Of course, the value proposition of a second-round NBA draft pick is far different than, say, the NFL. NBA second-round picks almost never turn into stars and rarely even become average role players.

More than perhaps any other sport, there is a direct correlation between how high an NBA player is taken and his future production.

A player taken at No. 31 overall will, on average, project out as an eighth or ninth man in a rotation. That’s not exactly the type of prospect that will have teams blowing up the Raptors’ phone line—particularly in a draft that’s considered among the weakest in recent NBA history.

Still, Toronto will be in a position of power to extract the maximum possible value for the pick or to simply take a guy the front office feels slipped past his draft stock. Given the historical wizardry of Masai Urjiri when it comes to team building, it’s fair to say the Raptors will be active come draft night.