Toronto Raptors Explain Why They Passed on Trades and Took Collin Murray-Boyles

The Toronto Raptors were open for business with the ninth pick.

General manager Bobby Webster confirmed Wednesday night that Toronto entertained offers for the selection, but the front office ultimately decided South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles was too good to pass up.

“I think a couple things were at play. I think we were one of the few teams in the top 10 willing to deal it. And so I think that’s probably where a lot of the noise came from,” Webster said. “We had a lot of those discussions because of that. I think some people thought it was sort of a seven, eight player draft. So the draft really started with us. A lot of teams that were trying to move into the draft, they felt like right around where we were it was kind of unknown.”

The market around the middle of the first round was busy. Atlanta, for example, sent the 13th pick to New Orleans for No. 23 and an unprotected 2026 first-rounder. Toronto likely heard similar offers but felt that Murray-Boyles, who they had ranked higher than ninth, was worth holding on to.

“We had him higher than nine,” Webster said. “I think the defensive stuff, versatility, you know, we’ve seen a lot of players here be successful in that role. And I think that was high on our list.”

With so much league-wide focus on lottery picks, Webster described the draft as something of an unofficial trade deadline. Much of Toronto’s activity heading into the night centered on the value of the ninth pick. Now that it’s off the board, the Raptors expect trade conversations to slow down, shifting toward more traditional player-for-player scenarios.

Attention now turns to pick No. 39 in the second round. Webster said the Raptors expect to make the selection but acknowledged the team will spend the night reassessing its draft board and gathering more information.

Last year, Toronto ended up trading for the 45th pick, Jamal Shead, and the 57th pick, Ulrich Chomche, despite not entering Day 2 with either. Webster said the Raptors are prepared for a similar surprise if the opportunity presents itself.

“We’ll be ready for that tomorrow,” he said. “We were ready for that tonight. Do you move back? Do you move out? But yeah, it’s a good point tomorrow. Last year I didn’t tell you that on Wednesday night.”

For now, the Raptors leave Day 1 with the player they wanted and the flexibility to stay aggressive.

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