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Raptors have top deal-maker ever in house: Masai Ujiri’s 5 best trades

By Brian Boake

DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 20: A close up shot of the Toronto Raptors logo on their shorts during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on December 20, 2013 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 20: A close up shot of the Toronto Raptors logo on their shorts during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on December 20, 2013 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Danny Bollinger/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Masai Ujiri has been the Raptors top executive for more than 5 years. He’s pulled off a number of trades, and in light of his latest (and greatest?), it’s time to rank the top 5.

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – AUGUST 1: President Masai Ujiri of the Toronto Raptors speaks during a camper welcome at the Basketball Without Boarders Africa program at the American International School of Johannesburg on August 1, 2018 in Gauteng province of Johannesburg, South Africa. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – AUGUST 1: President Masai Ujiri of the Toronto Raptors speaks during a camper welcome at the Basketball Without Boarders Africa program at the American International School of Johannesburg on August 1, 2018 in Gauteng province of Johannesburg, South Africa. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Over their nearly 30-year existence, the Toronto Raptors have had a bunch of General Managers. The first was the wildly erratic Isiah Thomas, then Glen Grunwald and caretaker Jack McCloskey, mega-flop Rob Babcock, and Mr. Corporate, Bryan Colangelo. None has put together the remarkable record of our current grand fromage, Masai Ujiri.

We have a crowded field of successful trades to winnow down to five.  I had no need of considering trades made strictly for salary-cap manipulation purposes, the most outrageous being the July 2017 dumping of Cory Joseph to Indiana for the rights to Emir Preldzic. Maybe Masai should have asked for “Future Considerations” or a case of Gatorade instead; either would be worth more than Preldzic’s rights.

And who could forget Austin Daye for Nando De Colo? That was a brilliant trade except coach Dwane Casey didn’t realize De Colo’s worth at the time. He’s since gone supernova in Russia. Oh well – we retain his NBA rights.

Let’s lead off with a clever deal pushed by Jeff Weltman, who was too good to be Masai’s second in command forever. Now he runs the show in Orlando. Masai always seems to hire clever people. He was smart enough to take Weltman’s advice about a Bucks’ second-round selection…

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