Latest news with #Raptors
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Raptors rumors: What Toronto is ‘coveting' with No. 9 pick
The post Raptors rumors: What Toronto is 'coveting' with No. 9 pick appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Toronto Raptors struggled mightily last season, but the ping pong balls still were not on their side. The Raptors are now staring at the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft despite coming off of a 30-52 season. Advertisement There are a lot of different directions that the Raptors can go in with that pick, even though they are going to miss out on the two biggest stars of this class in Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. Even the second tier of stars, such as VJ Edgecombe and Tre Johnson, are likely to be well out of reach for Toronto. Still, the Raptors have options at No. 9. They still need a center, and Duke big man Khaman Maluach is the top big man in the draft. Maluach has a small chance to slide down to No. 9, but the Raptors could also solidify the front court elsewhere if the 7-foot-2 freshman is off the board, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. 'Duke center Khaman Maluach is largely viewed as the leading center prospect in this class,' Fischer wrote. 'And Toronto, sources say, is among the clubs that highly value the 7-foot-2 big man who played for South Sudan's national team in the 2024 Summer Olympics. 'The Raptors, though, have left various rival teams with the impression that they covet multiple centers at the No. 9 slot … meaning they might have another big man in mind should Maluach come off the board by the time Toronto is on the clock.' Advertisement Maluach's skillset makes him an enticing pick for every team. He has only been playing organized basketball since he was 14 and has already improved a ton in that time. He has shooting touch that he wasn't asked to use much at Duke, but he is a great two-way player who is an elite lob threat and good shot blocker with swtichability on defense. Even if Maluach is gone, there are a number of other intriguing center prospects that the Raptors can look at with the No. 9 pick. At the top of that list would be Georgetown center Thomas Sorber, who is a much smaller prospect who plays below the rim but has incredible intangibles and feel for the game for his age. The Raptors could also look to take a guard with this pick, but there are still options in the front court if they want to go in that direction. Related: Raptors rumors: Kevin Durant trade a backup option to Giannis Antetokounmpo Related: 3 players Toronto Raptors must avoid in 2025 NBA Draft
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
RUMOR: What Jake Fischer is hearing about Kevin Durant trade pursuit
The post RUMOR: What Jake Fischer is hearing about Kevin Durant trade pursuit appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Toronto Raptors have spent the last two years under construction, focusing on the development of their fairly young roster rather than competing for Eastern Conference supremacy. Although Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Gradey Dick and Jakob Poeltl form an intriguing core, most people assume that team president Masai Ujiri has been biding his time before pursuing a superstar. The time to strike may soon arrive. Advertisement The Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant understand that a split is in the best interest of all involved and are moving toward a trade this offseason. Toronto is expected to make a play for the future Hall of Famer, as it tries to quickly reinsert itself back into the playoff picture. Considering the question marks swirling around the East going into the 2025-26 campaign, Ujiri may believe that one transformative talent can launch the squad into contention. However, such a player is not typically acquired without making a considerable sacrifice. Three specific members of this squad are emerging as possible trade candidates this summer. 'Sources say that the Raptors would be willing to part with either RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley for a significant roster upgrade,' NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on The Stein Line. 'Several league figures with knowledge of the Raptors' thinking have likewise asserted that they could show a willingness to move center Jakob Poeltl as well … provided that the trade in question brought back Durant.' Michael Scotto of HoopsHype also mentioned Barrett's possible presence on the trade market, noting that the Raptors are likely to 'gauge' league-wide interest in the Toronto native and former top-five draft pick. Raptors have much to consider One cannot ignore the risk of dealing away a big chunk of the starting lineup for someone who will turn 37 in September. Durant remains an offensive juggernaut — posted 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 43.0 percent from 3-point range last season — but he is not the future of the franchise. Advertisement Can Durant and Barnes successfully lead a talented yet unproven group that also includes Ja'Kobe Walter and Ochai Agbaji? Masai Ujiri would need to engage in some additional roster shuffling to position Toronto for a true turnaround. The No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is an intriguing asset, but, as Fischer notes, it could be included in a swap for the Suns' No. 29 selection in a potential Kevin Durant trade. The Raptors have a tough balancing act to master. Competing in the present while also planning for the future is a risky undertaking that has conquered many executives in professional sports. Given the interest surrounding the two-time NBA Finals MVP, they may not have much time to figure it out. Related: NBA rumors: Insider labels $107 million Raptors star as best 'sneaky trade target' Related: Kon Knueppel turns heads with shocking NBA draft testing results
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Raptors Possible Trade Framework for Kevin Durant Revealed
Raptors Possible Trade Framework for Kevin Durant Revealed originally appeared on Athlon Sports. 15-time All-Star Phoenix Suns power forward Kevin Durant appears to be all set to jet out of town. It's a move that will please both sides, as the Suns reportedly got pretty close to reuniting the 6-foot-11 big man with the Golden State Warriors at this year's trade deadline, before discovering that Durant himself was against a reunion with fellow future Hall of Famers Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, along with head coach Steve Kerr. Advertisement Durant infamously ditched the Oklahoma City Thunder to ink a three-year, maximum-salaried free agent deal with Golden State in 2016, and instantly went on to appear in three consecutive NBA Finals, winning twice in 2017 and '18. Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant gestures to the referee for a foul call against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Hamilton-Imagn Images He departed as a free agent in 2019, joining the Brooklyn Nets. Durant forced a trade out of town midway through the 2022-23 season. Now, he appears to have grown tired of his NBA environment for the fourth straight time. Across 62 healthy contests for the 36-46 Suns, the 11-time All-NBA honoree averaged a still-great 26.6 points while slashing .527/.430/.839, 6.0 boards, 4.2 dimes, 1.2 blocks and 0.8 steals a night. Advertisement The team that beat Durant's Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals is apparently willing to sacrifice plenty in a potential deal. Grant Afseth of writes that the Toronto Raptors — who are reportedly not among his preferred landing spots — have several assets they would be open to trading. "Kevin Durant is expected to be traded before the 2025 NBA Draft, and league sources tell RG the Toronto Raptors are among the teams seriously evaluating a deal, despite not being on Durant's preferred destination list," Afseth writes. The 2025 NBA Draft tips off on June 25. The second round will be selected the next day. Advertisement "It's a familiar dynamic for Toronto, which took a similar approach in 2018 by acquiring Kawhi Leonard and capitalizing on a one-year window to win an NBA championship," Afseth notes. Durant will be on a one-year, $54.7 million expiring deal for 2025-26. 'League sources say the Raptors have explored a range of trade concepts that could involve a framework including any combination of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Jakob Poeltl and the No. 9 overall pick," Afseth adds. "While nothing appears imminent, there is internal openness to parting with one of Barrett or Quickley in a larger package, and Poeltl could be included depending on the structure.' Related: Spurs Think 'Price is Too High' for Kevin Durant Trade: Report This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Pacers trade away No. 23 pick in NBA draft to Pelicans to recover 1st-rounder in 2026. Here's why
For the second straight season, the Indiana Pacers will not have a pick in the first round in the NBA draft. The Pacers traded this year's first-round pick, the No. 23 selection in the draft, and the draft rights to guard Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans to recover the 2026 first-round pick they originally sent to the Raptors in the trade for Pascal Siakam, league sources confirmed to IndyStar. ESPN's Shams Charania originally reported the trade. The Pacers still have a pick in the second round at No. 54. The deal would seem to avoid further tightening a roster crunch that has made it difficult for the Pacers to find playing time for young players over the past two seasons. Almost all of their key rotation players on this year's Eastern Conference championship team are under contract to return next season with center Myles Turner being the only player in their top eight set to be a free agent, and it is reportedly likely that he will re-sign. Second-year wings Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker are also still on their rookie scale contracts as is rookie wing Johnny Furphy and the Pacers have already found some difficulty finding steady rotational minutes for all three. Furphy appeared in just 50 games this season and averaged 7.6 minutes per game, mostly appearing in mop-up duty after getting some meaningful minutes in November and December when the Pacers were missing several players with injuries. The Pacers could have used the pick to address the backup center position, but they also have several options there. Isaiah Jackson, who missed almost all of the season with an Achilles tendon tear, is set to be a restricted free agent, but the Pacers could also re-sign him for a reasonable price. Backup center Thomas Bryant is set to be an unrestricted free agent and the Pacers have a club option on third-string center Tony Bradley. They also maintained a relationship with James Wiseman, who tore his Achilles tendon in the season's first game as he was traded at the deadline and then released. The Pacers would only be able to keep two of those players, but would have reason to be interested in doing so. King, a New Zealand native who played high school basketball in Australia, was taken with the No. 40 pick in the 2023 draft and has mostly been stashed overseas since. He played professionally in both Australia and New Zealand this season. The Raptors traded the Pacers' 2026 first-round pick along with Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk at the deadline to New Orleans to acquire Brandon Ingram. The Pacers also traded their 2024 pick to Toronto in the Siakam trade.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
SGA is doing Kobe things. And the Thunder are one win away in the NBA Finals
It is the time when sporting legacies are cemented, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is making his. The 26-year-old from Hamilton is one win away from completing the greatest basketball season ever posted by a Canadian after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 120-109 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Gilgeous-Alexander, with all facets of his game firing on all cylinders, had 31 points, 10 assists and four blocked shots as the Thunder took a 3-2 lead in the series that resumes Thursday night. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Already the league's regular-season most valuable player, leading regular-season scorer and the MVP of the Western Conference championship series, Gilgeous-Alexander piloted a devastating Thunder performance at home. Doug Smith's Sports Blog Opinion Doug Smith: Raptors mailbag: Trade RJ Barrett or Immanuel Quickley? What are expectations for Toronto next season? Doug Smith It was his fourth game with 30 or more points in the five games so far, his first double-figure assist game, and the blocked shots are a career playoff high. It was also his 15th 30-point game of the playoffs, the most in a single post-season since Kobe Bryant did it with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009. And with teammate Jalen Williams exploding for 40 points, the Thunder moved to within a win of the franchise's first NBA championship since it relocated from Seattle in 2008. 'Great force. I mean, that's the word,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Williams. 'We've used that word with him in his development. When he's at his best, he's playing with that type of force. 'That was an unbelievable performance by him, just throughout the whole game. He really was on the gas the entire night. Applied a ton of pressure. Thought he made a lot of the right plays.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The Pacers did what they regularly do: grinding their way back into the game after facing a big deficit and giving themselves a chance. Doug Smith's Sports Blog Opinion Doug Smith: Raptors mailbag: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Steve Nash and the case to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo Doug Smith Trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half and with their best player having his worst game of the season, Indiana made it a two-point game about halfway through the fourth quarter. But Williams got going again, the Thunder defence clamped down and they built the lead back to 14 with about five minutes left. Oklahoma City forced four consecutive turnovers in about a three-span minute to re-establish a comfortable lead. 'We had 23 turnovers for 32 points,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'That's the game. We've got to do a heck of a lot better there.' The Pacers got nothing from guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was clearly feeling the effects of some kind of injury. He fell awkwardly on his left leg in the first half and finished the night with four points, no field goals and had no discernible impact on the game. 'He's not a hundred per cent, it's pretty clear,' Carlisle said of Haliburton, who missed all six shots he attempted in 34 minutes. 'But I don't think he's going to miss the next game. We were concerned at halftime, and he insisted on playing. I thought he made a lot of really good things happen in the second half. But he's not a hundred per cent. There's a lot of guys in the series that aren't.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW And as good as Pascal Siakam is, he wasn't good enough to carry Indiana on his own. Siakam did have 28 points to lead Indiana, but with the smothering Thunder defence set up to stop him alone, he had no chance to take over. But Siakam also had six turnovers. 'I've got to be better, especially the first quarter, taking care of ball,' Siakam said. 'I think it just kind of sets a trend a little bit with turnovers that we had in the critical parts of the game. I've got to be better with that.' Nba Opinion Dave Feschuk: The secret to winning the NBA Finals is hidden in the lowlight reels — Tyrese Haliburton and Lu Dort get it Dave Feschuk Gilgeous-Alexander, on the other hand, had a perfectly healthy running mate in all-star forward Williams. Williams was 14-for-25 from the field, made three of five three-pointers and added six rebounds and four assists to his career-best playoff night. The delightful series has unfolded at a leisurely pace that's been perfect for the stakes. Having extra off-days for travel throughout the series extends it — it'll be an 18-day series if it goes to Sunday's Game 7 — but it has also protected the players. Every game is a physical battle and any extra time to rest keeps them as fresh as possible. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'You empty the tank in these games. That's what the games require in the playoffs, and the guys do an unbelievable job of that,' Daigneault said before the game. 'But we recover. The Finals are great because you get extra time in between the games. I think that's huge in terms of rest and recovery at this time of the year. I think it's good for the product. I think it's a good thing, and by the time the ball goes up in the air everybody is going to be ready to play and everybody is going to be excited.' And the games certainly haven't disappointed. Games 1 and 4 were decided in the dying seconds with surprising comebacks and twists; Games 2 and 3 were one-sided each way to illustrate the strengths of the winners. 'The NBA Finals is one of the great stages in all of sports, and … it shouldn't happen quickly and abruptly,' Carlisle said before tipoff. 'It should happen at the right pace and the right tempo, and the space in between games does help player health. You know, that's a very important aspect of it. So you know, this has been a long 10 or 11 days or whatever it is, but it's gone — it's also gone quickly.'
