Masai Ujiri has built the Toronto Raptors into an NBA champion after making some very prudent trades while refusing the temptation to make ones that wouldn’t have panned out. Fans hoping for him to get back to his high-stakes wheeling and dealing might find themselves disappointed.
Ujiri hasn’t moved off players like OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet despite multiple opportunities to do so and get a haul. Ujiri is hell-bent on running it back, no matter what the cost may be.
According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, Ujiri and the rest of the Raptors’ front office are much more bullish on the long-term future of this team. In the short term, Ujiri is so hyped up about this team that he thinks they are right on par with the 2023 Eastern Conference champions.
“The Raptors don’t see themselves as all that inferior, if at all, to the Miami Heat, who have made the NBA Finals two of the last four seasons,” Grange said. “The ‘lowly’ Knicks made the second round this year, and the Sixers, Bucks — and even the Celtics — have proven themselves beatable in the right circumstances.”
How will the Raptors handled the NBA Draft, free agency, building the team for next season?@michaelgrange does a deep dive on the teams' off-season decisions. https://t.co/VdkPIYqtqi
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 19, 2023
Masai Ujiri is too optimistic on the Toronto Raptors.
Miami was one year removed from being the top seed in the Eastern Conference, all while being led by a core of veteran players. They also have the services of a few dynamic youngsters in their prime in Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, while Toronto’s roster is full of declining vets (Fred VanVleet) and youngsters who are still developing.
The fact Miami made the Finals is almost unprecedented in NBA history, as this is just the second-time post-merger that the lowest seed made it to the championship. Basing your roster construction on something that is a minor miracle is not the best way to conduct business.
Going 41-41 is not the end of the world, but the fact that this team very clearly regressed last season and possessed one of the worst offenses in the league should be a sign that this team needs a facelift. Masai doesn’t seem to think so, unfortunately.
Even though Gary Trent Jr. is coming back, that won’t be enough to help the Raptors jump up into that very rarified tier. If Ujiri can flip one of his starters into a few more young players and picks, the Raptors might be better off than keeping everything the same.