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Tim BontempsESPN
Raptors basketball operations president Masai Ujiri said he wasn’t 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 we were going to go,” Ujiri said after negotiating Norman Powell for Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood, but finally did not deal with Lowry before the commercial deadline passed on Thursday at 3 p.m. “Because we really talked about looking at this team in all directions it could go.
“We got to a point where we felt comfortable with whatever direction you went.”
Ujiri joked when Lowry’s press conference after Wednesday night’s victory over the Denver Nuggets – one that felt like a 25-minute goodbye to Toronto and his fans – was a “circus” and that ” I didn’t have the feeling, maybe, that it was the right way … it seemed a bit surreal. “
But as he progressed on Thursday, Ujiri finally decided that the right step was to stay with the best player in the history of the Raptors franchise, pushing the decision on what will happen to his future with the team this season. low.
When asked what would happen then, Ujiri said he would talk to Lowry at that point.
“We’ll talk about it then,” he said. “I think we’ll talk about it when the time comes at the end of the season. But I think we all know the respect and the feeling for Kyle and this ball club, and what he’s done not just for the city, the team, the country, the league.
“Honestly, our team can go in a lot of different directions. I keep saying that. We are comfortable with any direction. We may have missed the opportunity here, but we also believe we have had a chance at some other things in the future. This team, especially with what we’ve been through this year, we could be pivoting in a lot of different directions. That’s where we are now. “
Lowry, in an Instagram post Thursday night, said Thursday was a “crazy day, but the love I received from everyone has been amazing.” He added: “Thank you all for letting me know you love me and for all the birthday wishes.”
As for the player Ujiri changed, Powell said the opportunity to get a talented player who is also a few years younger in Trent, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, was too good to leave. -pass it.
“Gary Trent is that I think a 23-year-old player with a lot of advantages, a shooter, a defender, fits into our core team,” Ujiri said. “That’s what makes us excited.”
Ujiri was also asked, on several occasions, if he would go to his own free agency, as his contract will expire this summer. As he has repeatedly said in the past, Ujiri only said it would be addressed later, adding that the Raptors organization will be “okay” no matter what happens.
When asked later to quantify what this meant, Ujiri gave a lengthy response praising fans back in Toronto, where the Raptors (who play this season in Tampa, Florida) have not played for more than a year. .
“This place is amazing,” Ujiri said of Toronto. “The property, the city, the country, everything it represents. I wish it to anyone in this world who can experience it. It’s amazing. And anyone who can experience my position, God bless you. It’s a great blessing. There’s nothing but I can say about the Toronto Raptors. It’s amazing. “
It has been a difficult season for the Raptors, who broke a nine-game losing streak with their victory over the Nuggets and placed eleventh in the Eastern Conference. But with a talented long-term core signed to Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby and with Lowry on the team, Ujiri said the Raptors won’t make tanks to try to maximize their draft pick.
“Yes, they fight,” Ujiri said. “They fight together, you see they like to play together and, yes, there have been ups and downs, you’ve seen it, there have been challenges, but at the end of the day, when you come into our locker room with these guys, and I see Kyle, Fred, OG and Pascal and they all really come together.
“What they want to build, the experience they’ve had together to win, we’re lucky, we’re blessed to have been a winning organization and we hope we can continue one way or another and have a good vision for this ball club to continue like this. “There may be stops along the way and adversities along the way, but I think the general culture we need to continue and these players are a huge part of it.”