The NBA Draft is just one day away, and that ignites the beginning of teams’ aspirations for next season. Whether it be rebuilding around young players recently acquired, getting to the playoffs with a developed lineup, or trying to contend for a championship with new stars, all franchises have some sort of goals that begin with the Draft.
For the Toronto Raptors, they find themselves somewhere in the middle. It’s difficult to say they can immediately contend for a championship next season with their current core after losing in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They were successfully able to end their three-year playoff drought, but now their goals will shift towards winning their first playoff series since the Bubble in 2020.
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Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Jaylon Tyson (20) | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
While the Draft will allow head coach Darko Rajakovic and his squad to further build upon the impressive young core of Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles, and Ja’Kobe Walter, there is more that needs to be done to push them to the next level. With so much money owed to Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Brandon Ingram, something needs to be done to start getting more production to match the expensive contracts.
With the Milwaukee Bucks being in constant conversations with different teams about parting ways with 10-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo, they are set to potentially go into a full rebuild. One player that could be moved following a blockbuster deal would be Myles Turner, a stretch big that could perfectly complement the Raptors’ core.
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Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner (3) and Toronto Raptors guard/forward Brandon Ingram (3) | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Michael Grange of Sportsnet has reported on the potential for his departure and how he could be linked to Toronto.
“A couple of league sources have suggested that the Raptors could be interested in Bucks center Myles Turner if the Bucks go into fire-sale mode after a potential Antetokounmpo trade,” said Grange. “A deal built around Poeltl and [Gradey] Dick would work financially. The rebuilding Bucks would doubtlessly be looking for first-round picks as compensation for taking on an extra year of Poeltl’s contract. How many would be the question.”
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Before Raptors fans get too excited about the potential addition of one of the starting centers in the 2025 NBA Finals, this does not seem like a promising deal for their future. If Turner returns to the form he was in throughout the 2025 playoffs, it may be worth swapping him for Poeltl and a first-round pick. However, last year was one of the worst years of his career, producing 11.9 points (worst since rookie year), 5.3 rebounds (worst in career), and 1.6 blocks per game (worst since rookie year) on 44% shooting (worst in career).
For a player who is essentially on the same contract as Poeltl, just for one less year, general manager Bobby Webster has no business giving up draft compensation for this type of contribution. Making a deal to upgrade either Poeltl or Quickley is a plausible way of improving the team right away. But, it’s essential that the successor is someone who will contribute to winning right away, otherwise Webster may be digging the Raptors into a deeper hole.
