After a fifth straight playoff appearance, Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri had a tough decision on his hands: stay afloat and hope for a better result with the same core the following season, or take a risk and blow things up. Of course, Ujiri took the latter route and it’s paid off tremendously.
The acquisition of Kawhi Leonard has been the clear number one reason why Toronto has earned its first Finals berth and snagging Marc Gasol at the deadline has played a huge part in their run as well. But all Raptors fans know that this wasn’t an easy process, especially for franchise point-guard Kyle Lowry.
The 33-year-old helped the Raptors evolve into a perennial contender and along the way, built a tremendously close relationship with DeRozan. The two appeared in numerous All-Star Games together and nearly led the Raps to an NBA Finals berth in 2016 so logically, Kyle was upset to see his close friend go last summer, but eventually talked things out with his general manager in a “tough conversation”. Ujiri opened up about it during his media availability on Wednesday.
If you need a reminder of just how close the two were in T.O., then just give these a watch:
Despite having to watch his former club advance to the Finals without him (in dramatic fashion may we add), DeRozan has remained supportive of his Raptors teammates. Lowry revealed he has kept in touch with both him and the teammates he had a relationship with throughout the run.
It’s never easy seeing a franchise player get shipped but all these months later, it’s tough to argue with Masai’s logic. Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors will take place at 9 PM Eastern Time.
