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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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CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 1: Patrick Patterson #54 of the Toronto Raptors leads his teammates in a huddle prior to Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals game one against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on May 1, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 1: Patrick Patterson #54 of the Toronto Raptors leads his teammates in a huddle prior to Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals game one against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on May 1, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Dateline: December 9, 2013

In another move which sent a clear This Is My Team message, Masai traded all three Raptors whose last names ended in Y. Perhaps that wasn’t the actual purpose.

Rudy Gay had arrived in Toronto in a desperation move by Bryan (I need more time!) Colangelo, and the team didn’t improve at all. Masai kept Rudy around to start the 2013-14 season, but quickly concluded the chemistry wasn’t right, and never would be. The Raptors had skidded to a 6-12 start when Rudy was removed from the lineup for the Lakers game in Los Angeles (which the Raptors won with a threadbare lineup, led by Amir Johnson’s 32 points). He and the others were gone, the ex-Kings arrived – and something amazing commenced.

The new Raptors bonded with their mates in seemingly no time, and the Toronto bench became a formidable force. [20-second timeout: The traded players hadn’t officially been placed on the roster when the Raptors faced the Spurs on December 10. Dwane Casey had Dwight Bucyks, Steve Novak, Landry Fields, Austin Daye and Julyan Stone on his bench that night, all of whom played. We lost.]

The Raptors roared the rest of the season, moving from 5 games under .500 to 14 over. The playoffs ended in tears against the Nets, but the Raptors had found their footing as an organization.

None of the four is still with our team. Salmons was moved for Lou Williams, and Vasquez we’ve already talked about. Patterson gave us several solid years, and is now with the OKC Thunder, while Hayes, a tiny center who somehow lasted parts of 10 seasons in the NBA, walked away in the summer of 2015 with no hard feelings.

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