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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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NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – 2015/07/09: Toronto Raptor Greivis Vazquez carried the torch to the stage during the Pan Am Torch Relay celebration at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto one day before the Opening Ceremony. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE, TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – 2015/07/09: Toronto Raptor Greivis Vazquez carried the torch to the stage during the Pan Am Torch Relay celebration at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto one day before the Opening Ceremony. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images) /

Dateline: June 25, 2015

On Draft Night, June 25, 2015, the Milwaukee Bucks decided they needed a backup point guard more than a future first-rounder, or a smallish “too old” guard from UCLA named Norman Powell.

Vasquez had arrived in Toronto from Sacramento as part of the payment for Rudy Gay (more on that one later). Greivis endeared himself to Toronto fans with his exuberant and often highly effective play. He started 29 games in the 2014-15 season, including some at small forward.

The season was a success, but the playoffs were a disaster (I suppose that’s a statement I could use for several recent years). The Raptors were swept away by the Washington Wizards, and Greivis was a sad minus_42.

Greivis was already 28 years old, and not the fastest man on the floor, to put it kindly. His career sputtered to a close with 3 games in Brooklyn after a bench-warming year in Milwaukee.

Meantime, Norman worked his way from the G League to the big team. He’s been signed to a multi-year deal, though his future is cloudy after a disappointing 2017-18.

The draft pick was lottery-protected, and finally conveyed last June. The selection? A beefy, badly injured small forward named OG Anunoby. Whatever happens with Norm…the trade paid off for Toronto with this pick alone.

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