The Toronto Raptors have struck a deal before the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Raptors will reportedly trade Jalen McDaniels to the Sacramento Kings for Davion Mitchell, Sasha Vezenkov, and the 45th pick of the 2024 NBA draft, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Mitchell was the No. 9 pick for the Kings in the 2021 NBA Draft but never truly lived up to his potential. He’s a 6-foot-2 defense-first guard who could benefit from a change of scenery. He averaged just 5.3 points and 1.9 assists per game in 72 games last season while shooting 45.2 percent from the the field and 36.1 percent percent from three-point range.
Mitchell is the big addition for the Raptors in this deal. He will bring a strong defensive skillset to Toronto and he will serve as the back up to Immanuel Quickley this season. He was one of the top defensive prospects coming out of Baylor and he still has a lot of promise at 25-years-old.
Meanwhile, Vezenkov is 28-years-old and he joined the Kings last season after being drafted by Sacramento. Vezenkov appeared in 42 games, averaging 5.4 points while shooting 37.5 percent from three last season. He’s got nice size at 6-foot-8 and can shoot.
Toronto parts ways with McDaniels who was unable to find his footing with the Raptors. He never secured a rotation spot and was inconsistent. McDaniels appeared in 50 games for Toronto, averaging 3.4 points on 34.4 percent shooting from the field. The Raptors signed McDaniels last summer to a two-year deal worth $9.3 million.
Now the Raptors will have picks No. 31 and No. 45 in the second round of this year’s draft. An opportunity for the team to continue to add some nice pieces.
The Raptors have also reportedly received the Portland Trail Blazers 2025 second round pick as part of this deal, per Sean Cunningham.
Raptors take Ja’Kobe Walter No. 19 overall at 2024 NBA Draft
The Toronto Raptors have selected guard Ja’Kobe Walter at No. 19 at the 2024 NBA Draft.
Walter is 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. He averaged 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 35 starts for the Bears on his way to being named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
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