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The NBA draft is still more than a month away, but Toronto Raptors president Bryan Colangelo already knows the Eastern Conference just got tougher.
The NBA draft lottery on Tuesday determined the order of the first 14 picks in the draft on June 26.
The Chicago Bulls jumped seven spots in the lottery and hold the first selection, while the Miami Heat will pick second.
“A couple of teams in the East will end up with some pretty good players and Chicago made a big jump and will be able to add a player to a roster that is already pretty deep, which will give them a chance to get back on track faster than expected,” Colangelo said. “And Miami didn't fall back too far and will get a good player, too.
“Either the first or second pick in this year's draft will give you a player that you can use to jump-start your team or will give you added leverage for a trade scenario.”
Memphis point guard Derrick Rose and Kansas State forward Michael Beasley are widely considered locks to be the first two picks, with NBA insiders projecting Rose to end up in Chicago and Beasley in Miami.
The Raptors will pick 17th, a position that Colangelo feels has potential to deliver a good prospect.
“The draft is pretty deep,” he said. “Picking 17th is not like picking No.1, obviously, but it is a draft that we believe will have some very good players available later in the first round.”
The coming weeks will be the some of the busiest on the NBA calendar.
Clubs will begin looking at draft prospects in workouts on June 2 in preparation for draft night. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on July 1. The Raptors are over the NBA salary cap, but can still offer a potential free agent the full mid-level exception – or roughly $35-million (all currency U.S.) over five years.
In addition, the Raptors will have to set aside money to re-sign point guard Jose Calderon, a restricted free agent who is expected to draw offers in the range of $35-million to $40-million or more. The Raptors will have the right to match any other offer Calderon receives, and they are expected to use it.
Trade rumours will also be part of the mix. Given the Raptors' shortcomings at small forward, it's not surprising they've been mentioned as a possible destination for Richard Jefferson, the New Jersey Nets' slasher who may be on the market as the Nets try to get out from under the weight of big contracts owed to their current backcourt of Jefferson, Vince Carter and newly acquired Devin Harris.
Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani has been linked to the Nets, but league sources labelled a possible move as speculative at best.
Given the Raptors' apparent glut at point guard – both T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon have said they want to be starters, and Colangelo acknowledged the stalemate will be addressed in the off-season – the way the draft lottery shook out may have served them well.
If Rose ends up being picked first, the Heat might still be in the market for a point guard to start alongside Dwyane Wade, giving the Raptors one more potential trading partner.
