DeMar DeRozan postgame handshake with Masai Ujiri will get Raptors fans nostalgic

Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors got revenge on DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls, as their choke in the second game of the season was avenged by a very encouraging 121-104 win that was always in Toronto's grasp (barring a cold spell in the fourth quarter). 

The Raptors came into this game intending to slow their former teammate DeRozan down, and they did a reasonably solid job of that. DeRozan didn't have the best night at the office, further contributing to a lost season that may eventually end with him finally getting a trade away from flatling Chicago.

DeRozan recorded just 19 points on 7-16 shooting in 39 minutes, picking up a few technical fouls and earning himself an early trip to the showers. On the way into the locker room, he ran into an old friend in Ujiri, also known as the man who unceremoniously and without warning traded him to San Antonio.

DeRozan found Ujiri in the locker room, where he embraced his former GM and gave him a firm handshake before heading away. While Ujiri has found himself in the crosshairs of this fanbase, and DeRozan hasn't been a Raptor for a half-decade, seeing the two embrace will get fans thinking about the glory days of the last decade.

Masai Ujiri, DeMar DeRozan embrace after Toronto Raptors’ win vs. Bulls.

DeRozan is averaging 21.3 points and 4.5 assists per game this season. With a complete lack of depth in key areas and poor spacing when he’s on the floor, the fact that DeRozan looks as good as he does should be enough to get contenders interested in him at the trade deadline. 

DeRozan famously had a very awkward departure in Toronto, as the Kawhi Leonard trade that involved flipping the franchise’s all-time leading scorer to San Antonio was concocted after assurances he would not be on the move. Ujiri was vindicated, but this still left a bitter taste in the mouths of some fans.

The fact they're even willing to embrace one another is a big step up from how frosty things in this relationship were a few years ago. DeRozan reportedly said he hung up the phone when Ujiri informed him of the trade, and Masai himself said there was "work to be done" to patch things up.

With the Raptors likely on pace to win less than 50 games for the fourth straight season, it's easy to pine for the days when the DeRozan/Kyle Lowry backcourt was consistently cooking and getting this team to the postseason.