That youth motion will proceed within the NBA draft on Tuesday and Wednesday, as Toronto holds a decide within the first and second rounds. Assistant basic supervisor Dan Tolzman stated in a information convention on June 16 that the Raptors intend to take the most effective accessible gamers with the nineteenth and fiftieth general picks, however that doesn’t imply Toronto isn’t on the lookout for specific attributes.
Particularly, they want a real centre and extra depth at level guard.
Seven-foot centre Jakob Poeltl was the one participant on the Raptors final season over six-foot-nine and, at 31, was additionally the second oldest participant behind 40-year-old Garrett Temple. The distinction between Poeltl and Temple, nonetheless, is that Poeltl was a starter and Temple was the final off the bench, if he entered video games in any respect.
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Poeltl missed 36 video games final season because of damage, averaging 10.7 factors, seven rebounds and two assists over that stretch. Though he was cleared to play in Toronto’s post-season collection versus Cleveland, he usually had his minutes restricted, forcing Rajakovic to place out a smaller lineup in opposition to the Cavaliers’ dominant bigs Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
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It’s a state of affairs probably made worse if six-foot-nine backup centre Sandro Mamukelashvili decides to train the participant possibility on his contract this summer season. If he decides to depart the Raptors, he might command considerably greater than the $2.8 million Toronto is ready to pay him if he stays.
Some draft choices across the nineteenth decide that would add some measurement embrace six-foot-eight energy ahead Allen Graves (Santa Clara), six-foot-11 energy ahead/centre Chris Cenac Jr. (Houston), or six-foot-11 centre Henri Veesaar (North Carolina).
Predicting who shall be accessible across the fiftieth decide is tougher with extra variables, however six-foot-11 centre Ugonna Onyenso (Virginia), six-foot-eight ahead Tobe Awaka (Arizona) and six-foot-eight ahead Tobi Lawal (Virginia) might all be accessible.
Immanuel Quickley is a lock to return as Toronto’s start line guard subsequent season, however the 27-year-old missed many of the Raptors playoff run and his absence was keenly felt. All-star ahead Scottie Barnes shouldered many of the playmaking tasks, with second-year guards Ja’Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead taking turns getting into the beginning rotation with combined outcomes.
Christian Anderson (Texas Tech), Bennett Stirtz (Iowa), Labaron Philon Jr. (Alabama) might all be taken across the nineteenth decide, with Tre Donaldson (PG), Milos Uzan (Houston), and Noam Yaacov (Oostende, Denmark) all potentialities across the fiftieth choice.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed June 22, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
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