Toronto Raptors Could Look to Start New Era with 2023 NBA Draft

Since their 2019 Finals win, the Toronto Raptors have somewhat lived in NBA purgatory, hanging around in the middle ground between contention and a rebuild.

After another season that likely didn’t go the way they planned, and the with impending departure of point guard Fred VanVleet, Toronto could look to enter a new era via the 2023 NBA Draft.

Per The Athletic, the Raptors have already probed Houston for what it could take to pry the fourth pick away. And even that could be used to put pressure on a team like Portland, who they’ve likely already inquired with about the third pick.

While the Raptors could stay pat and run it back, they might just have their sights set on a top-five draft pick in 2023. And their options there would certainly be interesting.

If Toronto did decide to move into a rebuild, offloading OG Annunoby or even star Pascal Siakam would be necessary to land a top pick.

Assuming that Victor Wembanyama and even Scoot Henderson will be off the table, the Raptors could be looking at Alabama’s Brandon Miller or Overtime Elite point guard Amen Thompson as targets.

Both make sense from the Raptors perspective. Miller offers premier length and scoring potential, and would create a solid tandem with former fourth overall pick Scottie Barnes, who has do-it-all tendencies as well.

Thompson, at 6-foot-7, is likely the best passer in the class and one of the most athletic prospects in recent memory. Something the team has shown to value in recent years.

Both players hang around the third to fourth range, and if Charlotte does happen to swing on Miller at number two, that would leave the door wide open for Henderson, an all-time point guard prospect, to be drafted at No. 3.

It isn’t likely the team completely tears down the structure. As doing so would result in an unrealistically long project. But Toronto could opt to move in that direction with a top 2023 pick should they like their options enough.

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