According to Toronto Raptors‘ president Masai Ujiri, the relationship between him and the fan-favorite DeMar DeRozan still didn’t heal following the trade, which sent the shooting guard to San Antonio in exchange for Kawhi Leonard.
Ujiri spoke about many things this Monday. Among others, he mentioned the consequences of his moves as the president in the past. According to 49-year old he improved the relationship with the head coach Dwane Casey whom he released, but on the other hand, things with DeRozan aren’t that good.
“With Casey, it has gotten so much better now with his family and him. With DeMar there is still plenty of work to be done. But, by the grace of God, it will all get better. We have to continue to make these decisions that are tough. But that’s the business of basketball, and the position that we are in.”
Ujiri is one of the best executives in the NBA, and many believe that he needs to be credited the most for Toronto Raptors’ title quest.
If it weren’t’ for his vision and bold moves which weren’t always popular, the Raptors would be just another solid playoff team, but without the quality for something bigger.
During the process of making a championship crew, Ujiri took pretty unexpected steps, and some of them disturbed the fans, causing a lot of criticism; most notably firing Casey, who was coach of the year at the time, and trading DeRozan, the team icon.
These two decisions eventually brought the title to Scotiabank Arena. As we saw, Nick Nurse’s appointment changed everything, with the young coach bringing in new ideas that took Toronto’s game to another level. Meanwhile, Kawhi was the undisputed leader of the crew on the court, providing some of the most impressive playoff performances ever.
On the other side, DeRozan and his Spurs struggled, with the player performing below his standards. Even though enough time passed, DD still didn’t forgive Ujiri for being traded. Ujiri stated that shipping DD to Texas was one of the toughest decisions he ever made.
“DeMar, I was in the hotel in Kenya, and I walked around that hotel at 4 a.m., 5 a.m., for a couple hours, trying to gather up enough strength and courage to make this phone call. I will never forget it.”
DeRozan was deeply hurt after that transaction, and he never wanted to hide his emotions. The shooting guard mentioned in several situations that he felt betrayed.
As for Ujiri, his vision kept the Raptors among the best teams of the league, although they lost Leonard and Danny Green during the free agency. Pascal Siakam stepped up and took the leading role, while Nurse used all the players he and Ujiri selected over the recent few years to create a team that has what it takes to defend the title.
Unlike the last season, this crew relies upon the teamwork. Even though they had numerous problems with injuries, the Raptors kept on rolling and, at the moment, are second in the Eastern Conference with 46 wins and 18 losses, producing the franchise record of 15 straight victories after the New Year.
