4 biggest fleeces Masai Ujiri has pulled off with the Raptors
By Mike Luciano
The Toronto Raptors have been extremely lucky to have one of the best executives in league history in Masai Ujiri steering their ship over the last few years. Ujiri took a team that had never made it to a Conference Finals and had them winning a title in a dominant fashion within a decade.
Ujiri helped the squad by drafting stars like OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam very late in the draft, but his best and most consistent way of improving the roster has been making trades. Ujiri is not one to be tricked when it comes to this area of roster building.
Ujiri’s mix of patience with regard to negotiation and aggression when the right player becomes available has helped him have one of the best ratios of trade wins to trade losses in the league. The Raptors may not be trading with half the league every month like some more active GMs, but Ujiri’s few big trades have shaken the NBA.
These four trades stand out as the best moves Ujiri has made in his career with the Toronto Raptors. While the team trading with Ujiri has often been left in a worse spot, Masai built the foundation of some consistent winners on the back of these heists.
Toronto Raptors: 4 best trades Masai Ujiri has made.
4. Norman Powell for Gary Trent Jr.
Powell and Trent have similar styles of play, but the proven veteran in line for a payday looked like a better fit for Portland at the time. Trent, still coming into his own, looked more likely to fit Toronto’s new-look timeline. Just a year later, this trade seems horrendous for Portland.
Powell was effective for Portland and parlayed his performance into a five-year contract, but he only lasted one season with the Trail Blazers. Powell was traded to the Clippers for a largely underwhelming package, while Trent managed to improve upon his flaws with Toronto and earn himself a deserved $51 million contract.
Toronto Raptors: Masai Ujiri won the Norman Powell trade.
While the Raptors were able to get a promising young player in Trent thanks to his poor defensive play in Portland, Toronto turned him into a turnover machine while helping him put together the best offensive season of his career. Trent could easily be in for a nine-figure payday.
Two of the three parties involved in those two connected trades have come out of these proceedings smelling like a rose. Powell will chase a championship with the Clippers, and the Raptors found a perfect replacement in Trent. The Blazers have been left with a box of scraps.