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Assistant GM likes ninth overall pick for Raptors
TORONTO – The 2025 NBA draft class has been billed as one of the most talented in years.
But for Dan Tolzman, assistant general manager of the Toronto Raptors, there’s potential in every draft.
Tolzman spoke to media Monday about Toronto’s options with the ninth pick in Wednesday’s first round and the 39th pick in Thursday’s second round.
“We liked last year’s draft, too. It’s such an eye-of-the-beholder thing,” said Tolzman at OVO Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto. “I think this is a very strong draft. I think it’s maybe a little deeper just in terms of guys who can come in and impact right away, but I just think drafts are like this every year.
“This year I feel like we like where we’re at, and we’re focusing on that more so than what a normal draft looks like or previous drafts looked like. I would say it’s a range that we like a lot.”
The Dallas Mavericks have the first-overall pick and it’s almost a guarantee that they will take Duke University forward Cooper Flagg.
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Seven other players will get picked before the Raptors have their turn at the dais at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Wednesday. It’s expected that Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, Ace Bailey, Tre Johnson, Kon Knueppel, Jeremiah Fears, and Khaman Maluach will all be within the top eight selections, but in what order is still unknown.
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Tolzman wasn’t counting on any one player being a sure thing, except Flagg.
“There’s always a chance of one, maybe two guys, sneaking in there that changes things up a little bit,” he said. “It does seem like, at least, if I’m reading all the stuff online, and the public stuff and the sources, that it seems like there’s eight players that are being named to go ahead of us.
“If it goes that way, I’d actually be really surprised. It doesn’t seem like any draft ever goes the way that it says it does to begin with.”
Trading to move up or down in the draft order is still a possibility, but Tolzman said the Raptors like holding a top-10 pick.
“There’s definitely interest in people trying to get our pick, I think for the same reason,” said Tolzman. “It’s an interesting group of players around there.
“I wouldn’t say (there’s an) any-percentage chance that we do one or the other, but there (are) definitely conversations being had of teams trying to get into the top 10 for the same reason why we like being here right now.”
The Raptors’ second round pick, which originally belonged to the Portland Trail Blazers, was acquired by Toronto at last year’s draft in a deal with the Sacramento Kings.
Tolzman said the 39th overall selection will be helpful to add mature depth to Toronto’s roster, as the ability for NCAA players to receive compensation for use of their personal brand have made it more lucrative for younger U.S. collegiate stars to stay in school rather than turn pro.
“We’re looking at maybe a little bit older group of players than what we normally do,” said Tolzman of the early second round “And that’s not a bad thing.
“A lot of those guys can come in and contribute from Day 1, just because they’re more closer to being NBA ready.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Blue Jays slugger George Springer has been cleared to return to game action after suffering a concussion over two weeks ago, Toronto manager John Schneider said Wednesday.
The 35-year-old outfielder/designated hitter hasn’t played since July 28 when he was hit in the helmet by a fastball thrown by Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kade Strowd.
Springer, who was on hand for batting practice before Toronto’s game against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night, was expected to play for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Thursday.
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“Play DH tomorrow and then see if he needs a game in the outfield to see how he feels,” Schneider said in his pre-game availability. “But he’ll be doing that tomorrow.”
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Springer has been one of the top offensive performers this season for the Blue Jays (70-50), who had a 4 1/2-game lead on the Boston Red Sox in the American League East standings entering play Wednesday.
Over 101 games, Springer has a .291 average, 18 homers, 57 RBIs and an on-base and slugging percentage of .889.
Strowd’s 96-m.p.h. pitch appeared to hit Springer’s shoulder before making contact with his helmet near the ear flap. After laying prone for a moment or two, Springer got up slowly and left the field with some assistance.
He was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list on July 29.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Two delightfully shaggy new faces will be on display at the Toronto Zoo starting on Friday.
The nine-month-old brothers are Scottish Highland cattle, with long, woolly, reddish coats and fringe over their eyes.
The zoo’s manager of wildlife care, Marc Brandson, says the two were born and raised at a local Ontario farm before moving to the zoo about a month ago.
He says they completed a quarantine period and now live just outside the Eurasia Wilds area of the zoo.
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Membership holders can visit the brothers at a pre-screening on Thursday, while other visitors can see them starting Friday.
Brandson says there is “a lot of excitement” around the pair because of how popular the Highland breed already is.
He says the zoo is hoping to have the brothers walk through the public area of the zoo as part of its animal ambassador program, which can give visitors a closer look at certain animals.
“Each and every day, our outreach and discovery staff are working to get them to that level,” he said.
“Having a bonded pair is a really great social situation for Highland cows. These brothers are very calm and they are gaining confidence each and every day that they interact with their caregivers.”
The brothers don’t have names yet, and Brandson says the public should stay tuned on ways to contribute naming ideas.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner says the federal government needs to do more to fight Canada’s devastating forest fires.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Ottawa, the Alberta MP accused Ottawa of “inaction” on wildfires. She also blamed that lack of action for new measures restricting activities in the forests of two provinces — even though those bans were imposed by the provinces themselves.
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick last week banned hiking, fishing, camping and the use of vehicles in its forests in response to the heightened wildfire risk.
Rempel Garner said that while she understands the fear Maritimers feel, restricting individuals’ movements is “not right.”
“Whenever there’s a major crisis, what the Liberal government has done by their inaction has conditioned Canadians to expect that the only response they can see out of their federal government is to restrict their movement,” Rempel Garner told reporters.
“We’re calling on the federal government to actually get serious about this issue.”
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Conservative MP Marc Dalton presented a bill last year to stiffen penalties for wildfires caused by arson. It never made it past first reading and died when Parliament was dissolved ahead of this year’s election.
Rempel Garner said that’s one area where the Liberals could have taken action on wildfires. She also called on the federal government to dedicate more resources to wildfire control.
In its 2021 election platform, the Liberals promised to train 1,000 community-based firefighters to fight wildfires and to work with provinces and territories to get them more firefighting planes.
Last month, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters that Alberta-based water bomber manufacturer De Havilland was facing a four-year backlog of orders.
“Four full wildfire seasons ago, the Liberals promised more water bombers, more firefighters,” Rempel Garner said. “Where are they?”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston brushed off the criticisms of the forest entry ban at a press conference later Wednesday.
“I find it remarkable, the interest in travelling in Nova Scotia woods by people who aren’t in Nova Scotia and probably haven’t been here much in their life,” Houston told reporters.
“We’re only concerned with keeping people safe. We’ll do what’s necessary to protect lives, and that’s what we’re doing in this case.”
So far this season, the total area of the country burned by wildfires is nearly the size of the entire province of New Brunswick.
— With files from Sarah Ritchie.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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