Raptors Aim for Lottery Win to Boost Rebuild with Flagg
Raptors Eye Lottery Luck to Bolster Rebuild with Top Prospect
The Toronto Raptors are at a pivotal juncture in their rebuild, and the NBA Draft Lottery on May 12, 2025, could shape their trajectory for years to come. With the seventh-best odds of securing the No. 1 pick, the Raptors are poised to potentially add a transformative talent like Duke’s Cooper Flagg to their burgeoning roster, a move that could accelerate their return to Eastern Conference contention.
Following a 30-52 season, the Raptors have embraced a youth-driven rebuild centered around 2021-22 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes. The acquisition of Brandon Ingram at the trade deadline signals their intent to blend established talent with emerging stars. However, the 2025 draft offers a chance to land a cornerstone player, with Flagg—widely regarded as a generational prospect due to his two-way versatility and maturity—headlining a class that includes dynamic guards like Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, and athletic wing V.J. Edgecombe.
The Raptors’ lottery odds, locked in after a San Antonio Spurs upset over the Golden State Warriors, give them a 7.5% shot at the top pick and a 31.9% chance of cracking the top four. History offers hope: in 2021, Toronto leapt from seventh to fourth in the lottery, drafting Barnes, who has since become the franchise’s cornerstone. Yet, the most likely outcome is slipping to eighth (34.1% chance), which could still yield a quality player in a draft with depth, albeit lacking the star power of Flagg.
President Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster have navigated a delicate balance this season, prioritizing player development over outright tanking. Unlike lottery rivals like the Utah Jazz or Washington Wizards, who clinched top odds, the Raptors avoided dismantling their roster, keeping key pieces like Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley while giving rookies like Ja’Kobe Walter and Jonathan Mogbo valuable minutes. This approach, while costing them a higher lottery position, has fostered a competitive culture and unearthed promising talent.
The stakes are high. A top-four pick could pair Flagg or Harper with Barnes and Ingram, creating one of the NBA’s most exciting young cores. Flagg, in particular, is a “can’t-miss” prospect whose defensive prowess and offensive potential would complement Barnes’ playmaking and Ingram’s scoring. However, even a slide to eighth could net a contributor like Khaman Maluach, a defense-first big with ties to Ujiri’s African initiatives, or a skilled offensive big like Maryland’s Derik Queen.
As Ujiri noted post-season, the Raptors’ ultimate goal is not merely a play-in berth or playoff appearance but a championship. The lottery outcome will test their scouting acumen, a strength of this front office, which has a track record of finding gems like Pascal Siakam (27th overall) and Fred VanVleet (undrafted). With Indiana’s 19th-overall pick already in hand from the Siakam trade, Toronto has multiple avenues to bolster their roster, but a lottery win would be a game-changer.
As the basketball world converges on Chicago for the lottery, Raptors fans are left hoping for a repeat of 2021’s magic. Whether it’s Flagg or another rising star, the right pick could propel Toronto from rebuild to relevance, raising the ceiling of a franchise determined to reclaim its place among the NBA’s elite.
