The Toronto Raptors received the eighth pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which means the pick will now belong to the San Antonio Spurs.
With the Raptors ending up with a pick between 7-14, the selection goes to the Spurs as part of a trade that sent Jakob Poeltl to Toronto. Back in February 2023, the Raptors traded forward Khem Birch, a 2024 first-round pick and two second-round picks to the Spurs for Poeltl.
The pick was only protected if it stayed in the top six and the Spurs would have received the Raptors’ 2025 first-round pick with top-six protection. If that pick ended up being a top-six pick, then the same conditions would have applied to the 2026 draft before becoming two second-rounders in 2027 if it still hadn’t been conveyed by then.
The Raptors finished with a 25-57 record which gave them the sixth-best pre-lottery odds of landing the No. 1 pick.
The 2025 NBA Draft is expected to be loaded with top-end talent so holding onto their pick could end up being a better option for Toronto should they be in a lottery position next season.
The Atlanta Hawks won the NBA draft lottery, landing the No. 1 pick and a potential cornerstone player in a year where there’s no clear-cut choice.
The Hawks hit the jackpot despite just 3 per cent odds after finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference at 36-46. They dropped their final six regular-season games and lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the play-in tournament.
The Hawks haven’t won a postseason series since a surprising run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021. They got knocked out in the first round in 2022 and 2023.
Atlanta has some big decisions to make this offseason, including whether to break up its backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. General manager Landry Fields can build with the No. 1 pick, though it’s not clear who will be taken first after Victor Wembanyama was the obvious choice for San Antonio last year.
Washington, Houston, San Antonio and Detroit rounded out the top five. The draft is June 26-27 in Brooklyn.
Washington and Detroit had the best chances to land the top pick at 14 per cent. Only four teams have won the lottery with slimmer odds than Atlanta, with the biggest longshot being Orlando at 1.52 per cent in 1993.
The No. 1 pick could once again come from France, whether it’s center Alex Sarr or sharp-shooting forward Zaccharie Risacher, but that’s far from a certainty. UConn guard Stephon Castle and Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham are both expected to be off the board within the first few selections.
Files from The Associated Press were used in this report