Assistant GM Tolzman likes ninth overall pick for Raptors in Wednesday’s NBA Draft

Cooper Flagg participates at the 2025 NBA basketball Draft Combine in Chicago, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

TORONTO — The 2025 NBA draft class has been billed as one of the most talented in years.

But for Dan Tolzman, assistant general manager of the Toronto Raptors, there’s potential in every draft.

Tolzman spoke to media Monday about Toronto’s options with the ninth pick in Wednesday’s first round and the 39th pick in Thursday’s second round.

“We liked last year’s draft, too. It’s such an eye-of-the-beholder thing,” said Tolzman at OVO Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto. “I think this is a very strong draft. I think it’s maybe a little deeper just in terms of guys who can come in and impact right away, but I just think drafts are like this every year.

“This year I feel like we like where we’re at, and we’re focusing on that more so than what a normal draft looks like or previous drafts looked like. I would say it’s a range that we like a lot.”

The Dallas Mavericks have the first-overall pick and it’s almost a guarantee that they will take Duke University forward Cooper Flagg.

Seven other players will get picked before the Raptors have their turn at the dais at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Wednesday. It’s expected that Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel, Jeremiah Fears, and Khaman Maluach will all be within the top eight selections, but in what order is still unknown.

Tolzman wasn’t counting on any one player being a sure thing, except Flagg.

“There’s always a chance of one, maybe two guys, sneaking in there that changes things up a little bit,” he said. “It does seem like, at least, if I’m reading all the stuff online, and the public stuff and the sources, that it seems like there’s eight players that are being named to go ahead of us.

“If it goes that way, I’d actually be really surprised. It doesn’t seem like any draft ever goes the way that it says it does to begin with.”

Trading to move up or down in the draft order is still a possibility, but Tolzman said the Raptors like holding a top-10 pick.

“There’s definitely interest in people trying to get our pick, I think for the same reason,” said Tolzman. “It’s an interesting group of players around there.

“I wouldn’t say (there’s an) any-percentage chance that we do one or the other, but there (are) definitely conversations being had of teams trying to get into the top 10 for the same reason why we like being here right now.”

The Raptors’ second round pick, which originally belonged to the Portland Trail Blazers, was acquired by Toronto at last year’s draft in a deal with the Sacramento Kings.

Tolzman said the 39th overall selection will be helpful to add mature depth to Toronto’s roster, as the ability for NCAA players to receive compensation for use of their personal brand have made it more lucrative for younger U.S. collegiate stars to stay in school rather than turn pro.

“We’re looking at maybe a little bit older group of players than what we normally do,” said Tolzman of the early second round “And that’s not a bad thing.

“A lot of those guys can come in and contribute from Day 1, just because they’re more closer to being NBA ready.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2025.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press