Raptors draft Allen Graves, then brace for trade summer

Raptors select – Toronto selects Allen Graves with the 19th pick, leaning into a defense-first identity under Darko Rajakovic. But the Raptors’ off-season calm is short-lived as the Eastern Conference gets reshaped by the reported Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-Miami Heat deal and T

The Raptors didn’t try to win the off-season with noise Tuesday night. They leaned into the one job they couldn’t avoid once the clock hit their turn.

Picking 19th. Toronto did what every front office is meant to do when the board falls into place—chose the best player available. In the end. that meant Allen Graves. a prospect the Raptors had been hoping would still be on the board and who multiple sources had indicated was high on their eligible list.

Graves arrives as a six-foot-eight freshman from the University of Santa Clara. His fit with head coach Darko Rajakovic is built around the same traits Toronto has tried to prioritize in recent years: winning possessions defensively and making the transition from effort to impact. His steal rate stands out at 1.9 in 22 minutes per game, and his offensive rebounding is listed at 2.8 per game. Shooting is also part of the package—Graves hit 41.3 per cent on nearly three attempts per game from deep.

Bobby Webster, the Raptors general manager, framed Graves as more than a one-skill prospect. “As a player. he’s a high processor. two-way player. wins the possession game. I think. on both ends of the floor. ” Webster said. He also acknowledged the practical reality of stepping into the NBA after one year in college. “Obviously a developing player as well. just played one year of college. so he’ll have the usual and typical adjustment to NBA pace. speed. quickness. But sort of a young prospect that we think does a few things really well on the defensive end. and then offensively. obviously shooting. feel for the game.”.

Webster’s comments didn’t hide the Raptors’ preference either. Big wings who can defend have remained at the center of Toronto’s scouting language. and when asked how he might translate. he offered an image—Graves wreaking havoc. “Most likely I see him wreaking havoc (on defence( with CMB (Raptors forward Colin Murray-Boyles), right?. That’s probably the easiest one.”.

Toronto’s recent draft history has been built around exactly that kind of middle-to-late selection turning into something real. Ja’Kobe Walter—taken 19th as a freshman out of Baylor in the 2024 draft—emerged as a key rotation player on a playoff team midway through his second season. In earlier years. Delon Wright was drafted at 20th in 2015. Pascal Siakam at 27th in 2016. and OG Anunoby at 23rd in 2017. If Graves reaches anything like that ceiling, the decision Tuesday night will already look prescient.

For Graves, the moment came with a clear message about what he expects to become in Toronto. After being selected. he said. “I feel like I have a great feel for the game. very cerebral player. just offensively. just being able to be that connector piece.” He stressed he doesn’t need the ball to matter. “I don’t need the ball in my hands. I don’t need to score a certain amount of points. But just being able to make the winning plays. being able and willing to do anything that the team needs of me. and then on the defensive end. just being able to win the possession battle: deflections. steals. things like that. and rebounding. That’s where I plan to impact most.”.

Still, the draft pick can’t be the whole story for a team that finished fifth in the Eastern Conference last season. Once Toronto’s selection was locked in, the roster math and market decisions moved back to the front of the line.

Webster made that clear immediately after the pick. “Now we’ll turn our attention … to trades and free agency,” he said. He pointed to a recent run of deals and rumors that. in his view. gave the league room to exhale—and positioned the Raptors as a franchise that has stockpiled pieces over the years. “I think people saw a couple big deals that went down. and not that they were holding up the rest of the league. but I think they gave everyone a chance to exhale.”.

He also reminded that Toronto has carried first-round picks and players under rookie scale contracts. helping it build as the youngest team in the playoffs. “But at a certain point. we want to be opportunistic in the trade market. and so now we’ll look to do that over the course of the summer and even into the trade deadline next season.”.

The East is already shifting in ways that could force the Raptors to move sooner rather than later. The conference has changed significantly with the reported trade of two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. That deal can’t be made official until July 6. but the implication is immediate: the Heat finished 10th last season. and adding the 31-year-old Milwaukee Bucks star—oft-injured though he has been—could be the kind of upgrade that flips outcomes quickly if he stays on the floor.

Other teams aren’t standing still. The 2025 NBA finalist Indiana Pacers are expected to rebound to the top tier of the East after an injury-driven slide this past season. Charlotte Hornets, after another year of growth, are also part of the continued climb. At the other end, Washington Wizards are described as ready to pivot to competitive relevance.

And for Toronto, there’s the domino question. Antetokounmpo being moved out of Milwaukee reportedly has Jaylen Brown in the conversation next. with Brown offered to Milwaukee in a potential deal and now connected to the Bucks again. The theme is simple: if the Bucks are open for business, everyone else has to react.

That’s where the Raptors come in. NBA sources that spoke with MISRYOUM have connected Toronto to Bucks centre Myles Turner. The possible core of a deal would include Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl, third-year wing Gradey Dick, and potentially draft compensation. The goal would be to bring Toronto a veteran big with credentials as a rim protector and a three-point threat.

If that trade doesn’t take shape, Toronto still has its own urgent balancing act. One of the biggest names on the Raptors’ internal checklist is stretch big man Sandro Mamukelashvili. His perimeter shooting gives him outsized significance to the lineup, and keeping him could require clearing salary.

That could put Gradey Dick directly in the crosshairs. Keeping Mamukelashvili likely means cutting ties with Dick, the Raptors’ 13th pick in the 2023 draft. The same report also says Dick is looking for a change of address after falling out of the rotation after the all-star break.

Another contract issue sits in the background as summer begins to unfold: RJ Barrett. The Raptors and Barrett are still in extension talks. and the pace of those negotiations isn’t described as something that will be fully decided immediately. Talks are expected to be picked up at Summer League in Las Vegas next month. Until an agreement is reached. the future of the Canadian national team star—with Canada’s lone NBA team—remains a question mark as he heads into the last year of his deal.

The Raptors have their first-round pick on the books now. The rest of the off-season still looks like a series of chapters yet to be written—one where the draft quietly did its job, and the next moves will determine how loudly Toronto can compete again.

Toronto Raptors Allen Graves Darko Rajakovic Bobby Webster NBA draft Myles Turner Jakob Poeltl Gradey Dick Sandro Mamukelashvili RJ Barrett Giannis Antetokounmpo Miami Heat Eastern Conference