After letting Nick Nurse go following five seasons as head coach, the Toronto Raptors still haven’t identified a replacement throughout their interview process. But the front office doesn’t need to know who their coach is to discuss trades with other teams regarding draft picks.

For now, the Raptors are set to enter the 2023 NBA Draft with the 13th overall pick, but according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, Toronto has also discussed a trade with the Houston Rockets, who hold the fourth pick.

“Now, if this was last season, a top-five pick is as good as anything. There are teams (interested). For example, the Raptors have already called. There are teams that still believe that No. 4 is a pretty good pick. And there are teams that are going to want to acquire that pick, but I’m just speaking in the sense of teams that have win-now veterans. What is the calculus about? Do we think, Amen Thompson or Ausar Thompson are going to really push the needle?”- NBA insider Kelly Iko on Toronto Raptors discussing a draft trade with Houston Rockets