Raptors eyeing option of moving up in important upcoming NBA draft

The Toronto Raptors have some considerations in mind for Thursday night's draft.

Toronto has just one pick, sitting on the back end of the lottery at 13th overall in the first round. But with a number of unknowns surrounding the roster as free agency approaches, assistant general manager and VP of player personnel Dan Tolzman said the team is looking at different options, including moving up.

"Quite a bit," Tolzman said when asked how much consideration there is to move up. "Our whole operation around the draft is to try to know at least all the ranges of picks just in case something comes across the table that's too good to pass up on.

"As we get to know our pick at 13, we're also really taking a close look at the players up in the top five, top 10, whatever, just in case. And then same with move back opportunities too.

Tolzman added that moving up, in his mind, would not signal "a major directional shift."

"Whoever we're going to go get, we see them as helping the Raptors long term," he told reporters at the Raptors' practice facility, the OVO Athletic Centre. "What it takes to get them, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

"It's definitely not something that we're seeking out to try and shift our direction one way or the other. Just more of those conversations, where they go and what it takes to have them and then the assets that come back.

"If we see that as, whether it's next season or seasons to come, as an improvement for our team then those are the ones that we debate over and over and really give some good consideration to."

The Raptors face the potential of losing two key starters in point guard Fred VanVleet and centre Jakob Poeltl. VanVleet opted out of his $22.8 million US player option last week,