Raptors Clinch Higher Draft Pick Thanks to NBA Tiebreaker Procedure

The Toronto Raptors will get the 39th pick in this year's draft courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers and an NBA tiebreaker

Sep 30, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto Raptors vice chairman and team president Masai Ujiri talks to the media during media day at Scotiabank Area. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors got a little lucky Wednesday night.

A tiebreaker between the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers, won by the Suns, has landed Toronto the 39th pick in this year’s NBA Draft, the league announced.

Phoenix and Portland finished the regular season with identical 36-46 records, triggering a random draw to determine their draft order. The Suns secured the higher first-round spot and will send their pick to Houston. In the second round, however, the order is reversed. That gives Portland the edge, and Toronto, who owns the Trail Blazers’ second-rounder, will now receive the 39th pick instead of No. 40.

The Raptors acquired the pick from Sacramento last offseason in the deal that brought in Davion Mitchell, the rights to Jamal Shead, and Portland’s 2025 second-rounder in exchange for salary cap flexibility. The trade enabled the Kings to complete a sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozan with the Chicago Bulls.

The 39th pick proved pretty valuable this past year. The Memphis Grizzlies struck gold there this year with Jaylen Wells, the 21-year-old wing who started 74 games as a rookie. Other notable 39th picks include Jerami Grant (2014), Khris Middleton (2012), and former Raptors wing Landry Fields (2010).

The Raptors’ own second-round pick, No. 37, is on its way to Detroit via San Antonio and Dallas after originally being included in the Jakob Poeltl trade with the Spurs.

Toronto will hope for more lottery luck next month when the first-round order is determined. The Raptors have a 7.5% chance of landing the No. 1 pick and a 31.9% chance to move into the top four. The most likely outcome is the No. 8 pick, which Toronto has a 34.1% chance of falling to.

The NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for May 12 in Chicago.