Powered by:
Morning Coffee: What should the Raptors do with the ninth overall pick in 2025 NBA Draft?
Published
The Dallas Mavericks are on the clock with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Barring another trade with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks will select Cooper Flagg first overall tonight.
What did Dallas GM Nico Harrison know that we didn’t?
Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers on February 2nd.
Mavericks’ fans didn’t have to wait a full five months for the franchise to find his replacement.
Cooper Flagg is -100000 to be the No. 1 overall pick.
For perspective, a $10,000 bet on Flagg to go first overall at FanDuel this morning would net you a $10 profit.
Coffee money.
Barely enough to add two extra shots of espresso to your morning coffee order.
Flagg, who will 18 years and 186 days old when he’s selected first overall tonight, will be the second-youngest No. 1 pick in NBA Draft history.
He’ll only be eight days older than LeBron James was when the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him back in 2003.
LeBron, Luka, and the Lakers are +1500 to bring an NBA championship back to Los Angeles next summer.
Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving, who isn’t expected to return to action until January 2026 as he recovers from a torn ACL, are +3200 to win the NBA title next season.
Meanwhile, Rutgers guard Dylan Harper is the heavy favourite to be drafted No. 2 by the San Antonio Spurs.
Harper to be selected second overall is -9000 at FanDuel.
Once the first two picks are in the books, things are expected to get a lot more interesting with some significant movement already in FanDuel’s markets for each of the remaining top 10 picks.
The Toronto Raptors are set to pick ninth overall tonight.
With so much uncertainty beyond the top two picks, Raptors fans are bracing for several different scenarios that could potentially play out during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft tonight on TSN.
What should Toronto do with its top 10 pick?
This is Morning Coffee for Wednesday June 25th, 2025.
What Should The Raptors Do With The Ninth Overall Pick In 2025 NBA Draft?
The Raptors are 210-to-1 to win the NBA title at FanDuel.
Toronto won’t win a championship in 2026.
Now six years removed from the franchise’s lone title, Raptors fans are looking for a reason to believe they can contend again in the not-so-distant future.
Canadians Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort just won their first rings while leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the city’s first NBA title.
Former Raptor Pascal Siakam played an integral role in the Indiana Pacers falling one win short of pulling off the most unlikely championship run in NBA history.
Another former Raptor – OG Anunoby – led the New York Knicks in minutes played and ranked third behind only Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns with 16.3 points per game during their Eastern Conference Finals run.
Scottie Barnes, R.J. Barrett, Gradey Dick, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, and Ochai Agbaji are all 27-years-old or younger.
Who will the Raptors add with their top 10 pick tonight?
Duke centre Khaman Maluach remains the favourite to be the No. 9 pick in the NBA Draft at FanDuel.
However, Maluach is also the favourite to go No. 7 overall – a pick currently held by the New Orlenas Pelicans.
In addition to their markets for each of the top 10 picks, FanDuel has a draft position over/under market for the big man from Duke.
Maluach’s draft position to be under 8.5 is -290.
That number represents a 74.4 per cent implied probability that Maluach is a top eight draft pick.
Maluach’s draft position to be over 8.5 is +205.
Meanwhile, forward Noa Essengue has emerged as a close second choice in FanDuel’s market for the No. 9 overall pick.
Essengue had some interesting comments when he was asked if there are any current NBA players that he studies or models his game after.
One of five prospects from France that are considered more likely than not to go in the first round, Essengue is +300 to go ninth overall.
That’s a considerable move from +470 to go No. 9 at FanDuel just 24 hours ago.
Arizona forward Carter Bryant is +420 as the third choice to be the No. 9 overall pick at FanDuel.
Maryland centre Derik Queen is +500 as the fourth choice.
Then there’s a pair of guards at +700 to be selected ninth overall in Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis and Cedric Coward out of Washington State.
As if the Raptors outlook isn’t complicated enough, there’s no guarantee they keep the pick.
Toronto can stay put and draft ninth overall tonight.
The Raptors could also trade up, trade down, or trade the pick for a player or future assets.
Whatever they end up doing, Raptors fans just hope that it’s the right move to inch closer to a celebration that looks like this:
The Mavericks will select Flagg with the first overall pick.
The Spurs will draft Harper with the second overall pick.
After that, it’s wide open with plenty of movement expected in FanDuel’s markets for the top 10 picks between now and the start of the NBA Draft at 8 PM ET tonight on TSN.
Is there a FanDuel Best Bet that I should consider for the first round of the NBA Draft?
Give me a follow @Domenic_Padula on X and let me know.
I rolled the dice on Essengue to be the ninth overall pick at +290 and to be a top 10 pick at -125.
With the NBA Draft set to take place over the next two days, the NHL Entry Draft this weekend, and the Free Agent Frenzy right around the corner, there’s a lot to consider in FanDuel’s NBA, NHL, and novelty markets.
Have a great day, everyone!