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Tim BontempsESPN
Raptors basketball operations president Masai Ujiri said he was not sure what would happen to Kyle Lowry when he woke up Thursday morning, but that he and the rest of the Toronto office would be comfortable anyway. .
“Honestly, we didn’t know which way to go,” said Ujiri after negotiating with Norman Powell for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood, but not negotiating with Lowry before Thursday’s 3:00 pm ET deadline. “Because we really talked about looking at this team in all directions that it could take.
“We got to a point where we were comfortable with any direction we take.”
Ujiri joked that Lowry’s press conference after Wednesday night’s victory over the Denver Nuggets – one that looked like a 25-minute farewell to Toronto and its fans – was a “circus” and that “didn’t seem, perhaps, that it was the right way to go … it seemed surreal, a little bit. “
But as Thursday went on, Ujiri ended up deciding that the right move would be to cling to the greatest player in the history of the Raptors franchise, taking the decision on what will happen to his future with the team in the off-season.
When asked what will happen then, Ujiri said that it is something that he will speak to Lowry at that moment.
“We will talk about it then,” he said. “I think we’ll talk about them when the time comes, at the end of the season. But I think we all know the respect and feeling about Kyle and this football club, and what he did not just for the city, the team, the country , the league.
“Honestly, our team can go in many different directions. I keep saying that. We are comfortable with whichever direction we go. We may have missed a chance here, but we also think we won a chance in other things in the future. This team, especially with what we’ve been through this year, it can turn in many different directions. This is where we are now. “
Lowry, in an Instagram post on Thursday night, called Thursday “a crazy day, but the love I get from everyone has been incredible.” He added: “Thank you all for making it known that I am loved and for all the birthday wishes.”
As for the player Ujiri made exchanges with, Powell said the opportunity to get a talented player several years younger in Trento – who will be a restricted free agent this summer – was too good to pass up.
“I think Gary Trent is a 23-year-old with a lot of advantage, a kick and a defender, who fits into our main team,” said Ujiri. “That’s why we’re excited.”
Ujiri was also asked, on several occasions, whether he would go to his own free agency, as his contract is due to expire this summer. As he has done repeatedly in the past, Ujiri just said that this would be addressed at a later date, adding that the Raptors organization will be “fine”, no matter what.
When asked later to quantify what that meant, Ujiri gave a lengthy response praising fans in Toronto, where the Raptors – who are playing this season in Tampa, Florida – have not played for over a year.
“This place is incredible,” said Ujiri of Toronto. “The property, the city, the country, everything it represents. I wish that to anyone in this world who can experience it. It is incredible. And anyone who can experience my position, God bless them. It is a great, great blessing. There’s nothing else I can say about the Toronto Raptors.
It’s been a tough season for the Raptors, who broke a nine-game losing streak with a win over the Nuggets and are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. But with a talented long-term core in Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby and with Lowry still on the team, Ujiri said the Raptors will not tank to try to maximize his choice in the draft.
“Yes, they fight,” said Ujiri. “They fight together, you see they like to play together and yes, there were ups and downs, you saw, there were challenges, but at the end of the day, when you walk into our locker room with these guys, and I see Kyle and Fred and OG and Pascal and they all really come together.
“What they want to build, the experience they had of winning together, we are lucky, we are blessed to have been a winning organization and we hope to be able to continue like this in one way or another and have a good vision for this club to continue like this.” There may be stops along the way and adversities along the way, but I think the general culture that we need to continue and these players are a big part of it. “