Two-Day NBA Draft Gives Raptors More Leverage, per Report

Toronto holds the first pick in Thursday's second round.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ja'Kobe Walter poses for photos with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected in the first round by the Toronto Raptors in the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors held the 19th pick in the 2024 NBA draft and used it to select Baylor's Ja'Kobe Walter on Wednesday night. Now it seems they will be the first team to benefit from the NBA changing up the draft schedule.

For the first time ever, there is a full day gap between the draft's two rounds. The first round wrapped up Wedneday night, and the second round is slated to start at 4 p.m. ET Thursday. One of the many ripple effects of the decision is that it opens up a huge, previously nonexistent negotiating window for teams to make trades in the second round.

The Raptors, holders of the first pick in the second round, could benefit from that greatly in any scenario where they decide to trade the pick instead of use it. That theory was backed up by The Athletic on Thursday, as draft insider Sam Vecenie reported Toronto has a "high degree of leverage" in trade talks as a result of some unexpected names falling and the increased window of negotiation.

"Following the first round on Wednesday, league sources were quite pleased that they could stop after 30 picks, regroup, and not be up late until the wee hours of the evening trying to lock in Summer League spots and Exhibit 10 deals," Vecenie wrote. Instead, they’re now fielding calls that end a bit earlier in the evening than in previous years regarding potential trades for when each team gets on the clock. League sources have indicated that the Raptors, who will have the first pick Thursday, have a high degree of leverage here.

"With expected first-round picks such as Johnny Furphy, Kyle Filipowski and Tyler Kolek slipping into the second round, there’s a real chance Toronto will get offers from a team that has a player still rated in the lottery on their board."

What the Raptors do is statistically unlikely to be consequential in the grand scheme of things. Hitting on NBA-caliber talent in the second round of the draft is very rare. Even with the first pick of the second round when teams are often selecting players who barely missed out on going in the first 30 picks.

But all the talk of what teams might do is ultimately what makes the draft so much fun. So giving everybody in the league an extra 20 or so hours to think of different ways to make trades is a net positive regardless of how impactful any moves made are.

The world will find out soon enough what Toronto does with its extra time as the second round kicks off in a few hours.