When Raptors assistant general manager Dan Tolzman spoke to reporters on Tuesday ahead of the 2026 NBA draft, he didn’t offer a ton of juicy tidbits. As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays (via Twitter), Tolzman suggested the draft is fairly wide open after the first 10 or 12 picks, said the cost to move up would be high and that the Raptors are happy at No. 19, and indicated that the team will take a “best player available” approach to that pick.
However, the assistant GM did acknowledge that Toronto in recent years have been lacking a frontcourt player who can be a lob threat on offense and protect the rim on defense, Lewenberg notes. While Tolzman said the Raptors are “taking a close look” at players who fit that bill, that hole doesn’t necessarily need to be addressed in the draft — it could also be an area the team focuses on in free agency or on the trade market.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Tiago Splitter‘s new contract as the head coach of the Bulls includes three guaranteed seasons and a team option for a fourth year, according to longtime Portland-area reporter Dwight Jaynes, who tweets that Splitter’s salary is believed to be around the league average for a head coach.
- The Sixers have started bringing in potential targets for their No. 22 pick for pre-draft workouts, with Koa Peat (Arizona), Dailyn Swain (Texas), Chris Cenac (Houston), Allen Graves (Santa Clara), Isaiah Evans (Duke), and Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s) all scheduled to have visited the team by the end of the week, per Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link). Philadelphia is also lining up Zoom meetings with certain first-round prospects who won’t be visiting the team in person, adds Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has agreed to settle a lawsuit that accused him of running over and breaking a 12-year-old’s foot with his vehicle, reports Julia Coin of The Charlotte Observer. The child’s family had been seeking $3.75MM in damages in the suit, which was filed in 2024. The terms of the settlement agreement aren’t known.
- UConn forward Alex Karaban (No. 30 on ESPN’s big board) and St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell (No. 42) visited the Knicks on Wednesday for a pre-draft workout, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). New York controls the 24th, 31st, and 55th overall picks in next week’s draft.
