Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh, left, looks at the scoreboard late in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif.Steve Yeater
Bryan Colangelo admits he's thinking about the post-Chris Bosh era as he prepares for the NBA draft.
With Bosh slated to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, the Toronto Raptors president and general manager says he'll be taking a serious look at the big men available Thursday night.
"We have to be prepared for life with and without Chris," Colangelo said Tuesday. "If that means drafting a big (man) then this is a draft with multiple bigs that we feel are pretty decent and so be it.
"But if there's another player on the board we feel that has more talent then we'll look at that as well. There is a lot of uncertainty with the roster so that leads to a lot of uncertainty with this pick."
Bosh, the all-star forward who leads the Raptors in career points (9,275) and rebounds (4,450), says he hasn't made a decision about next season yet.
Toronto has the 13th overall pick Thursday and Colangelo said he has whittled the final candidates down to a manageable number.
"We've narrowed our list down quite considerably," Colangelo said. "We've basically said that there's a couple of bigs on the board, a couple of wings and a couple of guards that we're interested in.
"With all the uncertainty roster-wise, we've said we're going to take the best player, the player we feel has the most talent and most upside and someone who will fit this organization long-term."
The Raptors had six prospects in for pre-draft workouts Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre, including West Virginia forward Devin Ebanks and Kansas centre Cole Aldrich. Both were there for a second time.
Colangelo is also working the phones, trying to move up in the draft or possibly reach a deal to secure an additional first-round selection. Colangelo does have some trade fodder at his disposal as disgruntled veteran small forward Hedo Turkoglu has said publicly he wants out of Toronto.
Toronto finished second in the Atlantic Division with a 40-42 record to miss the playoffs.
Colangelo said he has no new information regarding Bosh's long-term future in Toronto.
"We'll be ready for scenarios with Chris on the roster and also without," Colangelo said. "At some point it's out of our control but what the net is in terms of players or assets coming back to us, if he does decide to leave and utilize us as a partner to obtain a maximum deal then we'll see.
"But those are unknowns right now."
Colangelo also wouldn't rule out keeping Turkoglu.
"Time has a way of healing things." Colangelo said when asked if Turkoglu could still return to Toronto despite publicly stating he wants out. "Whether or not we move him will be based on whether or not there's a deal there that we feel makes some sense for our team.
"All the uncertainty would lead you to believe there's a lot of balls in the air, a lot of trade discussions happening right now. How the roster looks today, it's going to look entirely different I'm sure a few weeks from now when it all plays out. If it's the same, we have a lot of talent."