After returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, and for the first time since Darko Rajakovic took over as the team’s head coach, the Toronto Raptors will be entering the 2026-27 season hungry for more.
To a certain extent, the team should be able to bank on internal improvement, with players such as Collin Murray-Boyles, Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter taking strides last season. Scottie Barnes, of course, took a significant leap, being named to an NBA All-Defensive Team for the first time in his five-year career.
There’s a lot of optimism to be had with young players on the roster, and there should be an expectation that they all continue to improve.
With that said, finding ways to augment the roster externally still presents the quickest path for the Raptors to go from a plucky team that can take the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games to one that can legitimately compete again in the Eastern Conference.
To do this, the Raptors might be able to make a trade — RJ Barrett’s expiring contract could be an enticing chip — or they could go down the free-agency route, as it looks like they’ll be able to use the taxpayer mid-level exception.
Both of those options, while certainly viable, are potentially a whole lot more expensive than what general manager Bobby Webster and the Toronto front office can do Tuesday evening, however.
Armed with the 19th-overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, Sportsnet, Sportsnet+), the Raptors will be able to simply select a player who can come in and help the team out immediately.
With the success of Murray-Boyles last season, there should be confidence that this front office can find talent — even if the player won’t be a lottery talent like the former South Carolina forward.
To help matters, it’s quite obvious what the Raptors will be looking for — not just in the draft, but in the off-season. Despite having Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl under contract for a long while — and at a significant number — the Raptors are in need of point guard and centre help.
Both Quickley and Poeltl are players the team would likely love to find another home for, as their durability and production just can’t measure up to the size of their contracts.
At No. 19, the Raptors should have options for either position. And while there’s a chance Toronto could look to trade up or down, it’s unlikely its draft range would move significantly.
Here’s a look at five players the Raptors could choose:
Christian Anderson Jr.
Point Guard | Texas Tech (Sophomore) | Six-foot-three, 178 lbs
Potentially the best shooter in this class, Anderson could be the player the Raptors thought they were getting in Quickley.
That is to say, Anderson is an off-the-dribble three-point marksman who shot 41.5 per cent from three-point range for the Red Raiders last season, while also running the offence and efficiently operating out of the pick-and-roll, dropping 7.4 dimes per game.
His smaller stature could make getting to the rim and defending his position a challenge at the next level, but we also did just see a small guard win Finals MVP. If Anderson turns out to be as good a shooter as he projects to be, there will be space for him in the league.
Chris Cenac Jr.
Power Forward/Centre | Houston (Freshman) | Six-foot-11, 240 lbs
The Raptors tend to like high-upside projects, and in Cenac, the team would certainly have one.
The six-foot-11 big man features freakish athletic traits, can move like a wing, has the length to alter and block just about anybody’s shot and has a developing outside stroke. On paper, this all seems like he should be a lottery-level talent, but after just one season with Houston, he never really had the chance to show any of that.
This might be because he was asked to mainly clean the glass for Kelvin Sampson’s program, but considering the tools, you’d think there would have been more.
Regardless, Cenac is going to be some team’s boom-or-bust first-round experiment, and that team could very well be the Raptors.
Ebuka Okorie
Point Guard | Stanford (Freshman) | Six-foot-two, 185 lbs
It’s possible that Okorie is simply riding the momentum of a strong freshman season at Stanford that saw him average 23.2 points per game while shooting 46.5 per cent from the field and 35.4 per cent from three to become a surprise one-and-done, because his small, slight profile doesn’t scream first-rounder.
However, because of his competitiveness and relentless desire to get to the rim, coupled with his change-of-speed, ankle-breaking quickness and handle, Okorie is an interesting prospect.
From players like Kyle Lowry to Fred VanVleet and now Shead, the Raptors know the value of having a pitbull at point guard, and Okorie could be that next guy.
Labaron Philon Jr.
Point Guard/Shooting Guard | Alabama (Sophomore) | Six-foot-four, 185 lbs
Without needing to share the backcourt with Mark Sears in Tuscaloosa, Philon had an excellent sophomore season, averaging 22 points, 3.5 rebounds and five assists while shooting 50 per cent from the field, 39 per cent from three and 80 per cent from the foul line.
Those counting stats, combined with a great overall feel for the game, an understanding of how to run an offence and a slick floater package when he gets in the lane make Philon a strong prospect.
Despite the good positional height, his slight frame will still make defending in the NBA a challenge, and he also isn’t the most explosive athlete.
With gym rats on the Raptors like Barnes and Murray-Boyles, however, should Philon land in Toronto, it’s unlikely he stays as skinny as he is right now.
Jayden Quaintance
Centre | Kentucky (Sophomore) | Six-foot-10, 255 lbs
Similar to Cenac, Quaintance would be another high-risk, high-reward project.
Unlike Cenac, however, Quaintance has actually already shown some of what he can do as a potential downhill, rim-running lob threat and rim protector.
In his freshman season with Arizona State, Quaintance averaged 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 52.5 per cent from the field in just a shade under 30 minutes per game. However, he only played 24 games after suffering a torn ACL in his right knee that forced him to miss the remainder of that season.
Following that freshman campaign, he transferred to Kentucky, but only played four games as he continued to recover from his injury.
As he enters the draft, there are plenty of question marks about Quaintance. What he has on his side, however, is youth. He won’t turn 19 until July, so team would be getting a player who would more normally be a freshman coming out of college.
Honourable mentions: Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s), Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan), Sergio De Larrea (Valencia), Tarris Reed Jr. (UConn), Bennett Stirtz (Iowa), Meleek Thomas (Arkansas), Henri Veesaar (North Carolina).
