The Toronto Raptors haven’t exactly struck gold often in the second round, but a few picks have gone from afterthought to real franchise value. When you sort through the group, three names rise to the top: P.J. Tucker, Norman Powell and Jamal Shead.
Tucker is the kind of pick that reminds you how unpredictable the draft can be. Toronto grabbed him with the 35th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, but he wasn’t ready to stick in the league right away. He appeared in just 17 games as a rookie before heading overseas.
That detour turned into a five-year run in Europe, and when Tucker came back to the NBA in 2012 with the Phoenix Suns, he arrived as a different player. He carved out a role as a three-point specialist and a tough, undersized defender who could guard at a high level. Toronto brought him back in 2017 in a trade, hoping he could help at the deadline.
He played 24 games for the Raptors and then appeared in 10 postseason games as the team made its playoff push. After that, Tucker kept rolling for eight more seasons with the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. He also won a championship with the Bucks in 2021, which only adds to the case that Toronto identified a winner early.
Powell’s path was different, but the payoff was bigger in Toronto. The Raptors acquired the draft rights to the 46th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on draft night, and he came into the league after four seasons at UCLA. That experience showed quickly.
He became part of the Raptors’ rotation right away and stayed there for six seasons. Powell was on the 2019 championship team, where he averaged 8.6 points per game.
The next year, after Kawhi Leonard left for the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, Powell’s role grew again. He developed into a double-digit scorer in Toronto, and the team later turned him into Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood in a 2021 trade.
From there, Powell’s career kept climbing. He signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Blazers that summer, then was moved six months later to the Clippers, setting up a reunion with Leonard. Los Angeles became a comfortable fit for him, especially with his college ties there, and he helped the Clippers reach the playoffs in three straight seasons.
He was traded again to the Miami Heat this past season, where he played 58 games and averaged 21.7 points per game. He is now with the Chicago Bulls on a two-year, $45 million contract and is expected to be their leading scorer next season.
Toronto may be looking at another strong second-round outcome with Shead. The Raptors are still reaping the benefits of trading for the draft rights to Jamal Shead in the 2024 NBA draft after Sacramento selected him and then dealt him to Toronto.
In only two seasons, Shead has already become the backup point guard and a real tone-setter on defense. His energy and tenacity on that end of the floor have made him important to the group, and during the playoffs he filled in for the injured Immanuel Quickley, starting four games and averaging 9.0 points per game.
He has also become one of the team’s better playmakers, averaging just over five assists per game. That ability to steady the second unit is exactly the kind of skill set that keeps smaller guards in the league for a long time.
Shead turned 24 last month, and there is still room for more growth in the 2026-27 season. Toronto has every reason to be excited about what comes next, and he still has a shot to become the best second-round pick in franchise history.
In Other News...
Raptors Fans Finally Know The Real Cost Of Kawhis Return
The NBA has finally put a price tag on the chaos surrounding Kawhi Leonards return to Toronto, and it is a steep one for the Clippers. After ruling on the trade between Toronto and Los Angeles, the league handed down a punishment that includes five future first-round picks going away from L.A., along with suspensions and fines for the teams owner and executives. For Raptors fans, it turns a rumor-heavy saga into something more concrete, with the league now having officially weighed in on how this blockbuster was handled.
What comes next matters just as much for Toronto, because the trade sending Leonard back north is expected to be finalized soon. The punishment settled one major question, but it did not answer every one around how the deal will be completed, and the Raptors are still waiting to see the full shape of the move theyve been tracking. For a fan base that has spent days sorting through speculation, the leagues ruling at least gives the story a firm direction, even if the final paperwork still has to catch up. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Suddenly Face A Jokic Question Fans Never Wanted
Kawhi Leonard is cleared to return to the Raptors this summer, giving Toronto another major piece as it tries to climb in the Eastern Conference. But as the front office looks ahead, the conversation around the roster has already widened beyond Leonard and into far bigger territory, with Nikola Jokic suddenly surfacing as the kind of name that can alter the entire direction of a franchise if the opportunity ever appeared.
Jokic has not signed an extension with Denver and has a player option for the 2027-28 season, which is enough to keep rival teams watching closely even if nothing is imminent. Toronto has reasons to be intrigued, not least because of its belief that it can keep improving, but the more important reality is that Jokic has given every indication of loyalty to the Nuggets so far, leaving the Raptors in the familiar place of dreaming on a superstar while waiting to see whether the league ever creates a real opening. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Are Finally Nearing The End Of This Kawhi Leonard Saga
Kawhi Leonards long-running situation is finally close to moving off the Raptors back burner, with the NBA clearing up the last major issue that had been hanging over a trade between Toronto and the Clippers. The leagues decision gives the Raptors the green light to wrap up a deal that would bring Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick into the picture, along with multiple future draft picks, after Toronto had been waiting for the investigation to run its course.
For the Raptors, the timing matters because this was never just about one player or one payment issue, but about getting the transaction formally over the line and letting both sides move forward. The expectation around the league is that the trade will be completed soon, ending a saga that has lingered long enough to become part of the backdrop for Torontos offseason planning. [Read more 🡒]