The Toronto Raptors could go off-book with the No.9 draft pick
After the “draft lottery”, we rounded up the top mock drafts online to get a feel for the Raptors’ 9th pick in this coming draft.
Now that the “lottery” and the NBA Draft Combine are over, various mock drafts are starting to see some changes based on where the teams landed after the lottery and the prospects whose stock went up or down based on their Combine appearance.
The draft process is still in the early stage, but so far, the first 6 picks remain stable, although the order can go many different ways once you get past Dylan Harper. At the end of the day, Cooper Flagg, Harper, Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Tre Johnson, Kon Kneuppel, and Jeremiah Fears are all expected to be gone by the time the Raptors are on the clock.
From here, the net is wide open. Khaman Maluach is the most popular choice for the Raptors among draft pundits, but teams ahead of the Raptors can potentially reach for him, like the Washington Wizards with their 6th pick. A couple of intriguing European guards who went through the NCAA could be an option too, in Kasparas Jakucionis and Egor Demin. There are also a couple of young European up-and-comers in Noa Essengue and Nolan Traore. It does feel like the Raptors will end up with an international prospect, unless someone like Tre Johnson falls, or the Raptors reach for Collin Murra-Boyles or Carter Bryant.
Let’s look at the mocks (as of May 20, 2025).
Tankathon: Khaman Maluach
39th pick: Alex Toohey
Update: May 20, 2025
Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis moved into the top 8 on Tankathon’s latest mock draft, making Maluach available for the Raptors at the 9th pick. Meanwhile, SportsNet’s Michael Grange reported that Alex Toohey will work out for the Raptors.
Australian NBL prospect Alex Toohey told me that he has workout with the Raptors scheduled. Big playmaking wing who models his game after Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles and others.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) May 14, 2025
NBADraft.NET: Nolan Traore
39th pick: Milos Uzan
Update: May 16, 2025
Nolan Traore going to the Raptors at 9th is the highest we’ve seen recently, but he entered the current draft cycle as supposedly one of the top prospects of this draft class. Currently, Traore is around the late lottery to mid-1st round range. Had he crossed over, joined an NCAA team, and put up solid stats, there’s a conversation to be had about whether Traore should be a top 8 pick in this draft.
Yahoo Sports (O’Connor): Khaman Maluach
39th pick: Miles Bird
Update: May 19, 2025
New Yahoo Sports’ NBA Draft guru Kevin O’DraftExpert mused that “a team that can afford to be patient, such as the Raptors, could be in for a great reward down the line.” O’Connor ain’t wrong with that take, as Maluach is one of the biggest mystery boxes in this draft.
No Ceilings: Carter Bryant
39th pick: Maxime Raynaud
Update: May 13, 2025
The guys at No Ceilings marked the Raptors’ draft position as the “should we keep it or move it” debate range. With Maluach off the board on their mock draft, it’s between Bryant and Collin Murray-Boyles, with Bryant’s offensive upside earning him a nod here.
Check out No Ceiling’s 2025 NBA Mock Draft V7
NBA Draft Room: Khaman Maluach
39th pick: Adou Thiero
Update: May 16, 2025
The fellas at NBA Draft Room feel like Maluach is the Raptors’ pick of destiny and the first center off their board. There are not a lot of surprising picks ahead, with the exception of Kasparas Jakociounis, who they have going to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Athletic (Vecenie): Khaman Maluach
39th pick: Darrion Williams
Update: May 14, 2025
Sam Vecenie is convinced that Khaman Maluach is the Raptors’ pick for the 9th spot, using Jakob Poeltl’s potential free agency the following summer and Ujiri’s ties to the growth of basketball in Africa.
Bleacher Report (Wasserman): Noa Essengue
39th pick: Labaron Philon
Update: May 19, 2025
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has Noa Essengue going to the Raptors. BR’s Zach Buckley posited that “Essengue already feels pretty Raptors-y. “We can’t blame him, as Essengue fits the raw 'Vision 6’9” mystery box prospects that Masai fancies.
USA Today - FTW (Kalbrosky): Derik Queen
Update: May 13, 2025
FTW’s Bryan Kalbrosky is one of the few remaining draft pundits still holding on to their Derik Queen mid-lottery stock, but that could change when we see his next mock draft. Queen appears to be sliding due to the subpar Draft Combine showing, but his skill set is intriguing at the very least. Perhaps the main driver for this Derik Queen pick is having Maluach going to the Nets at 8th.
Check out Bryan’s post-lottery mock draft for USA Today FTW
SBNation (O’Donnell): Tre Johnson
Update: May 12, 2025
SBNation’s Ricky O’Donnell’s post-lottery mock draft is probably the most intriguing one thus far, as he’s got major shakeups everywhere once you get past Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. He’s got Maluach moving as high as the Jazz’s pick at the 5th spot, and Queen is staying home with the Washington Wizards’ 6th pick. That meant someone from the consensus top 7 pick would slide down, and that’s Tre Johnson on O’Donnell’s mock draft. Johnson being available at the 9th makes him a no-brainer best player available.
CBS (Boone): Kasparas Jakucionis
Updated: May 18, 2025
CBS’ Kyle Boone chose a tall point guard despite Maluach and Queen being available on his board. Perhaps Boone is telling us that the Raptors’ biggest need is a point guard. Or maybe, Jakucionis is his BPA regardless.
CBS (Parrish): Khaman Maluach
Updated: May 18, 2025
CBS’s Gary Parrish thinks that Maluach is the best prospect available at the Raptors’ spot, and I won’t resist that argument, considering how his mock draft went down.
CBS (Finkelstein): Khaman Maluach
Updated: May 19, 2025
Per CBS’s Adam Finkelstein, “The Raptors have quite a bit of committed salary in the next few years, and for all the pieces they’ve recently invested in, his archetype is missing.” We’ll forgive Finkelstein for the Ulrich Chomche disrespect.
CBS (Salerno): Khaman Maluach
Updated: May 18, 2025
Maluach still needs time to develop, but going to Toronto would be a great situation for him. Coach Darko Rajakovic will shower him with plenty of hugs and make sure he smiles.
ESPN (Givony/Woo): Collin Murray-Boyles
Update: May 19, 2025
The draft experts at ESPN have Collin Murray-Boyles as the BPA at this point, and think that “The Raptors could go in many directions with this pick.” With Maluach off the board on their most recent mock, it makes sense, but there are other prospects worth looking like Kasparas Jakuciounis, Egor Demin, and Noa Essengue.
The Ringer (Mann): Kasparas Jakucionis
Update: May 12, 2025
The Ringer’s J. Kyle Mann thinks Jakucionis can help the Raptors’ offence. Despite the uptick in passes, assists, and overall player involvement, the Raptors’ offence looked robotic and wonky for the most part. Can Jakucionis help fix Coach Darko’s problem?