The Toronto Raptors came close to landing the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Raptors were reportedly one of seven teams that had a chance at the No. 1 pick heading into the final draw of the NBA Draft Lottery, per The Athletic.
If No. 4 popped up on the final ball, the Raptors would have won the draft lottery. Instead it was No. 14 and the Hawks got the top selection.
Toronto did not have luck on their side with their All-Star Scottie Barnes representing them on stage.
The Raptors pick ended up at No. 8 which will be conveyed to the San Antonio Spurs as part of the Jakob Poeltl trade from the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline.
Had the Raptors pick fallen inside of the top-six they would’ve kept it. The Raptors had a 45.8 percent chance of keeping its first-round selection for this year’s draft.
The Hawks won the draft lottery after moving up nine spots to cash in on a 3 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick.
Although the Raptors lost their pick, the Pistons had the worst luck on the day. They fell from the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery down to No 5.
Since the Raptors pick has been conveyed to the Spurs this year, they do not owe any of its future first-round picks to San Antonio.
The Raptors will now have to decide how they want to proceed from this point on. They can elect to be bad once again next season and try their hand a top pick in a much better 2025 NBA Draft.
However, as the team just learned tanking doesn’t always work out.
Raptors 2024 NBA Draft
Even though the Raptors will miss out on its first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, they will still have the No. 19 pick via the Indiana Pacers and the No. 31 pick via the Detroit Pistons.
The draft is set for June 26 and 27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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