The Toronto Raptors have had their share of front office headaches lately, but one move is starting to stand out as a real win: taking Collin Murray-Boyles ninth overall in 2025.
That pick drew praise from CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn, who spotlighted it during his front office rankings on the Third Apron podcast. Toronto finished nineteenth in his list, just behind the Golden State Warriors and just ahead of the Dallas Mavericks - Masai Ujiri’s new team.
“The biggest organizational win for Toronto in recent front office history was drafting Collin Murray-Boyles at number nine,” Quinn said. “I went back, and I looked at some of the mock drafts.
The NBA has a consensus mock draft that it runs before the draft. None of the reputable mock drafts had CMB going before number 11, and many were much later.
I would say right now, he was underdrafted. He should have gone higher.
I think he has a chance to be an All-Star.”
That kind of upside is exactly why the Raptors’ decision looks even sharper now, and why it could age even better next season. After a strong playoff showing as a rookie, Murray-Boyles is in position to take another jump and become one of the league’s more valuable reserves, with Jakob Poeltl expected to start most of the season.
Toronto’s recent history has included some rougher calls. Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl are both on hefty deals that have made the trade market trickier, and the team has also missed on some draft choices, including using a lottery pick on Gradey Dick, whose 3-point shot still hasn’t translated to the NBA the way the Raptors hoped.
Even with those issues, Murray-Boyles gives the organization something real to point to.
His second season is shaping up as one of the Raptors’ biggest storylines, especially with plenty still unsettled around the roster. Kawhi Leonard still isn’t officially on the team, and even after the trade is eventually finished, his health and availability will remain open questions.
What isn’t in doubt is the buzz around Murray-Boyles. He played only 57 regular-season games because of a thumb injury, but still finished his rookie year with All-Rookie honors and then turned in a standout playoff run.
Toronto entered that postseason as an underdog in a tough spot. Quickley missed all seven games, Brandon Ingram struggled and then sat out the final two, and the Raptors were far less experienced than the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even so, they pushed Cleveland to seven games and showed they were only a few pieces away from becoming a real threat in the Eastern Conference.
Murray-Boyles was central to that push. He finished as the Raptors’ third-leading scorer behind RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes at 14.4 points per game, while also putting up 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. He also mostly held his own - and in many stretches outplayed Poeltl - despite being undersized against Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
In Other News...
Clippers Still Havent Finalized The Kawhi Leonard Blockbuster
The NBAs investigation into the Clippers cleared one major hurdle for Toronto by fining Kawhi Leonard without imposing a suspension, which removed the league-level obstacle to a deal. Even so, the transaction has not moved from agreement to reality, with the final paperwork tied up while the Clippers sort through the aftermath of their front office upheaval and wait for the right people to sign off.
For the Raptors, the key point is that the trade still appears headed toward completion as originally constructed, even if the process has taken longer than expected. There has been some chatter about whether the terms could be revisited before everything is finalized, but the prevailing expectation remains that Toronto will land Leonard on the package that was initially worked out. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Season May Hinge On 3 Roles Changing Fast
The Raptors are heading toward the 2026-27 season with a core that should look familiar, but the bigger storyline is how a few key pieces may be asked to work differently. Scottie Barnes is still projected to be the kind of do-it-all force Toronto builds around, only the burden on his offense is expected to ease as the roster around him changes, while rookie Murray-Boyles and second-year guard Walter are both positioned to become more important in specific lineup spots.
Walters growth may be especially important because Toronto needs answers on the wing and in the backcourt, where role clarity can make the difference between a balanced rotation and a shaky one. The expectation is that his shooting and backup guard responsibilities will expand, and Murray-Boyles will be counted on for more as well, but how quickly those changes happen could shape how smoothly the Raptors navigate the season. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Fans Just Got A Clearer Read On The Kawhi Trade
Kawhi Leonard has already started the process of settling in with the Raptors, with reports saying he has been in Miami with teammates for an unofficial mini-camp tied to his transition to Toronto. For a fan base still trying to map out what the blockbuster deal really means, that at least gives a clearer picture of where one of the key pieces is headed and how quickly the next chapter is beginning to take shape.
Brandon Ingram, meanwhile, is spending time around the Clippers facility as the rest of the trade machinery keeps moving behind the scenes. The front office situation in Los Angeles is still unsettled, and while there is no expectation that he gets rerouted right away, the possibility of a later move has not gone away, which leaves Toronto watching a trade that feels finished in one sense and very much alive in another. [Read more 🡒]