This is a continuation of Raptors Republic’s draft look-back series.
You may not remember who was selected by the Toronto Raptors in the 2018 and 2019 drafts, and that’s totally understandable.
No, it’s not because you’re getting old and your memory is starting to go; it’s because there basically were no picks.
The NBA Draft was the least of the Raptors’ worries during this time period, as the team was cashing in its chips in hopes of a championship. They made good on that promise, which was well worth punting on a couple of draft classes to achieve those heights.
It does, however, make it harder to take a look back at these drafts after the Raptors were basically non-factors throughout the process. Toronto shipped out nearly all of their picks during this time frame, beginning with trading the team’s 2018 first-round pick (Džanan Musa), 2018 second-round pick (Rodions Kurucs), and DeMarre Carroll to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Justin Hamilton.
This was a pure salary dump in the summer of 2017 to get off of Carroll’s contract following a poor season, costing Toronto’s entire 2018 draft class in the process.
The only rookie that was brought in during the offseason was Jordan Loyd, a soon-to-be 25-year-old undrafted free agent who had experience overseas and in the G League. Loyd would ultimately only ever play in 12 games in the NBA, all in Toronto.
That’s it for the 2018 Draft, and before the 2019 season could even begin, the team had traded its upcoming first-round pick once again in one of the best deals in not only Raptors history, but NBA history.
Along with its 2019 first-round pick (Keldon Johnson), Toronto traded DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and cash.
The rest would be history, of course, as Toronto would claim its first championship ever, well worth the price tag of the infamous move that made it happen.
Fresh off a championship heading into the 2019 selection process, the Dinos were left with just their second-round pick, which was the second-to-last (59th overall) selection in the draft as a whole.
With that pick, Toronto selected Dewan Hernandez out of the University of Miami. The 6-foot-10 big man would go on to play only six games in the NBA ever, all with the Raptors during his rookie season, averaging 2.3 points.
Hernandez doesn’t highlight this crop despite being the only selection, as it was the undrafted free agents who found more success.
To start the year, Canada’s team had two true undrafted free agents on the team, Oshae Brissett and Terence Davis.
The Mississauga native Brissett would split time between the 905 and the big club that season, ultimately playing in 19 games with the Raptors before being waived the following offseason.
Davis, however, was the most successful find out of these past two classes for Toronto, competing in 106 games in a Raptors uniform. Legal troubles would end his Toronto tenure early, however, as he averaged 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 37.9 per cent from distance as a Dino.
Toronto also began the year with guard Matt Thomas, who would go on to play 67 games for the Raps across the next two years. While technically a rookie, he came to the NBA with two years of overseas play under his belt after he wrapped up his four-year collegiate career at Iowa State.
Overall, none of the players made a huge impact. Some had moments, while others had none. But this is what happens when you go all in and are successful at doing so, like the Toronto Raptors were.
Make sure to check back on Raptors Republic as we continue to take a look back at previous Raptors’ drafts.
