Last July, Masai Ujiri pulled off a trade with the San Antonio Spurs that reverberated throughout the entire NBA. Not only that, but it also had Toronto Raptor fans conflicted and confused.
Conflicted and confused as to why Ujiri would trade one of the franchise's all time best players - Demar Derozan - the franchise leader in games, points, and minutes played - for Kawhi Leonard, who was coming off a season where he only appeared in 9 games, missing the rest of the year with a lingering quad injury.
The trade also broke up the back court pairing of good friends Derozan and Kyle Lowry, who, for all their individual success as multiple time all stars, couldn't get the Raptors over the playoff hump in their time together. In five playoff appearances, the Raptors lost in the first round twice - including a sweep in 2015 - and failed to conquer LeBron James.
Fans were despondent, as fan favorite Derozan was being replaced by the mellow Leonard, a guy who is tough to read given his calm and stoic demeanor. Many lamented it as a mistake, something Ujiri would live to regret. "Will Kawhi even show up in Toronto?" was a question being asked by some, shades of Alonzo Mourning refusing to play for the Raptors following his 2004 shipment to Toronto in the Vince Carter trade.
Then there was the February deadline deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. Another fan favourite, Jonas Valanciunas, sent to the Memphis Grizzlies as the main piece in a package for former all-star and defensive player of the year Marc Gasol. "JV", as he was known to Raptor fans, was a young budding player with a nice offensive repetoire. Gasol, to some Raptor fans at least, was a short term stop gap who the mystery was out on as far as him being too old, past his prime.
Well, ten months later, both trades are making some of the Raptor fan naysayers look foolish, and making Ujiri out to be a genius.
Last night, the Raptors took a 3-2 lead over the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Leonard, who has been nothing short of amazing in the playoffs, was huge once again. He scored 35 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 9 assists, creating for others early in the game and asserting himself late. Gasol, though struggling from the field going 1/6, played great individual and team defense. He also had 6 rebounds, none bigger than the one off of a Leonard missed jumper late, forcing the Bucks to foul with the Raptors ahead. The 34 year old, much maligned in the post season due to spotty play, had been great in the Raptors' game 3 and 4 wins. In game three, Gasol played 45 minutes in the 2OT thriller, hitting four three pointers, tallying 16 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocks. In Game 4, he was 6/11, tallying 17, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Raptors fans may still miss Derozan for his contributions he has made to the franchise, but it is, in my mind anyway, impossible to still be upset with Ujiri over the trade if you were one of those people that didn't like it. While Derozan is an all-star, Leonard is a superstar. While Derozan is good on the offensive end, Leonard is excellent. Defensively, Leonard is arguably the best in the game. Offensively, he is too. He is a no doubt top five player, and some consider him higher ranked than that.
Valanciunas has potential to be a solid NBA pro. With his size and offensive ability, there's no doubt he can carve out a long, productive career. However, Marc Gasol is the type of veteran presence that the Raptors needed. The calming leader, the soft touch, the outstanding passing, the defense.
The Raptors over the last few years have been very good. Now, regardless of whether they advance and win the championship or not, they are great. Leonard and Gasol have enabled them to make that leap.
And Masai Ujiri deserves praise for that.
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