Masai Ujiri's future with the Raptors might end soon

[BlazersBroncos]

His only mistake was not starting the rebuild faster. They knew that resigning all of their free agents wasn't going to happen so they should have made the trades and started the rebuild faster.

Thats a pretty big mistake.

He sold low on Pascal b/c he held him too long. Sold low on Lowry b/c he held him too long. Lost FVV for nothing b/c he held him too long.

I would say he sold slightly low on OG, again b/c he held him too long.

He paid a FRP each for Thad Young (!!!!) and Poeltl. A rebuild team should not have made either of those moves.

They now have like 50M+ per season tied up in IQ and RJ - 2 guys that have far to go to prove to be winning players.

He was good, but I would say its time to shake it up.

[SelfishPlayer]

His only mistake was not starting the rebuild faster. They knew that resigning all of their free agents wasn't going to happen so they should have made the trades and started the rebuild faster.

Thats a pretty big mistake.

He sold low on Pascal b/c he held him too long. Sold low on Lowry b/c he held him too long. Lost FVV for nothing b/c he held him too long.

I would say he sold slightly low on OG, again b/c he held him too long.

He paid a FRP each for Thad Young (!!!!) and Poeltl. A rebuild team should not have made either of those moves.

They now have like 50M+ per season tied up in IQ and RJ - 2 guys that have far to go to prove to be winning players.

He was good, but I would say its time to shake it up.

I don't think that's a good enough reason to make front office changes. I do question why the Raptors held onto their players for so long. Was he not given the greenlight to rebuild? Was he unsure he would keep his job through the losing record that comes with rebuilding? The Raptors are rebuilding right now and people are speculating about his job security. Who's to say that four years ago it wouldn't have been the same exact thing?

[Mavrelous]

So you think that not trading Van Vleet or Lowry and letting them walk for nothing was a mistake, but you think just letting Brown walk for nothing wouldn't be a mistake? Do you not see the hypocracy? He's a tradable asset!

Brown is a solid playmaker, a hustle guy, and does the little things on both ends of the court. He's also one of the best defensive players on this list. Right or not, the Raptors are trying to win games to start the season and Brown will help the team. If that doesn't pan out, then there will be plenty of teams that can make a move to get him.

Suns, Cavs, Heat, Sixers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Clippers, Thunder, Warriors all have salary matching pieces to acquire him and he'd be good fits with them. There are plenty of more teams too. He's the type of player that teams want on their team.

We'll have to see what he brings back, I don't think he's a positive asset, Indiana didn't think that, they gave him that conract intentionally to be a human trade exception.

[Fairview4Life]

His only mistake was not starting the rebuild faster. They knew that resigning all of their free agents wasn't going to happen so they should have made the trades and started the rebuild faster.

Thats a pretty big mistake.

He sold low on Pascal b/c he held him too long. Sold low on Lowry b/c he held him too long. Lost FVV for nothing b/c he held him too long.

I would say he sold slightly low on OG, again b/c he held him too long.

He paid a FRP each for Thad Young (!!!!) and Poeltl. A rebuild team should not have made either of those moves.

They now have like 50M+ per season tied up in IQ and RJ - 2 guys that have far to go to prove to be winning players.

He was good, but I would say its time to shake it up.

I don't think that's a good enough reason to make front office changes. I do question why the Raptors held onto their players for so long. Was he not given the greenlight to rebuild? Was he unsure he would keep his job through the losing record that comes with rebuilding? The Raptors are rebuilding right now and people are speculating about his job security. Who's to say that four years ago it wouldn't have been the same exact thing?

4 years ago they were coming off a 53 win season but ended up in Tampa for the year and pretty explicitly tanked and got Barnes out of it. It is certainly not unreasonable for them to believe they could get back to 50 wins again, and they did hit 48. The problem was the following year when the team sputtered during Barnes' sophomore slump and they tried one last run with the core by trading for Poeltl. That's hardly some grave sin or even that big of a deal.

[SelfishPlayer]

Thats a pretty big mistake.

He sold low on Pascal b/c he held him too long. Sold low on Lowry b/c he held him too long. Lost FVV for nothing b/c he held him too long.

I would say he sold slightly low on OG, again b/c he held him too long.

He paid a FRP each for Thad Young (!!!!) and Poeltl. A rebuild team should not have made either of those moves.

They now have like 50M+ per season tied up in IQ and RJ - 2 guys that have far to go to prove to be winning players.

He was good, but I would say its time to shake it up.

I don't think that's a good enough reason to make front office changes. I do question why the Raptors held onto their players for so long. Was he not given the greenlight to rebuild? Was he unsure he would keep his job through the losing record that comes with rebuilding? The Raptors are rebuilding right now and people are speculating about his job security. Who's to say that four years ago it wouldn't have been the same exact thing?

4 years ago they were coming off a 53 win season but ended up in Tampa for the year and pretty explicitly tanked and got Barnes out of it. It is certainly not unreasonable for them to believe they could get back to 50 wins again, and they did hit 48. The problem was the following year when the team sputtered during Barnes' sophomore slump and they tried one last run with the core by trading for Poeltl. That's hardly some grave sin or even that big of a deal.

The off-season entering the 21-22 season should have been the fire sale season. They should have stayed bad and traded the veteran assets not allowing a single player to leave in free agency. Even Chris Boucher had trade value back then...

[Fairview4Life]

I don't think that's a good enough reason to make front office changes. I do question why the Raptors held onto their players for so long. Was he not given the greenlight to rebuild? Was he unsure he would keep his job through the losing record that comes with rebuilding? The Raptors are rebuilding right now and people are speculating about his job security. Who's to say that four years ago it wouldn't have been the same exact thing?

4 years ago they were coming off a 53 win season but ended up in Tampa for the year and pretty explicitly tanked and got Barnes out of it. It is certainly not unreasonable for them to believe they could get back to 50 wins again, and they did hit 48. The problem was the following year when the team sputtered during Barnes' sophomore slump and they tried one last run with the core by trading for Poeltl. That's hardly some grave sin or even that big of a deal.

The off-season entering the 21-22 season should have been the fire sale season. They should have stayed bad and traded the veteran assets not allowing a single player to leave in free agency. Even Chris Boucher had trade value back then...

They still had the core of a 53 win team and a 4th overall pick they loved. I don't think it's all that realistic to think they should have blown it up before that year.

[SelfishPlayer]

4 years ago they were coming off a 53 win season but ended up in Tampa for the year and pretty explicitly tanked and got Barnes out of it. It is certainly not unreasonable for them to believe they could get back to 50 wins again, and they did hit 48. The problem was the following year when the team sputtered during Barnes' sophomore slump and they tried one last run with the core by trading for Poeltl. That's hardly some grave sin or even that big of a deal.

The off-season entering the 21-22 season should have been the fire sale season. They should have stayed bad and traded the veteran assets not allowing a single player to leave in free agency. Even Chris Boucher had trade value back then...

They still had the core of a 53 win team and a 4th overall pick they loved. I don't think it's all that realistic to think they should have blown it up before that year.

Yes they were a treadmill team with no hope.

[Fairview4Life]

The off-season entering the 21-22 season should have been the fire sale season. They should have stayed bad and traded the veteran assets not allowing a single player to leave in free agency. Even Chris Boucher had trade value back then...

They still had the core of a 53 win team and a 4th overall pick they loved. I don't think it's all that realistic to think they should have blown it up before that year.

Yes they were a treadmill team with no hope.

Sorry, the 53 win team was the covid year, that 53 win team was the highest win% in franchise history (60 win pace), including the championship year. I didn't explain that part. The "treadmill team with no hope" was still the core of that team but also with a 4th overall pick added to it. Saying they should have split that team up is neither obvious, nor something any management team in the NBA would have done. At least I don't think it's all that reasonable.

[SelfishPlayer]

They still had the core of a 53 win team and a 4th overall pick they loved. I don't think it's all that realistic to think they should have blown it up before that year.

Yes they were a treadmill team with no hope.

Sorry, the 53 win team was the covid year, that 53 win team was the highest win% in franchise history (60 win pace), including the championship year. I didn't explain that part. The "treadmill team with no hope" was still the core of that team but also with a 4th overall pick added to it. Saying they should have split that team up is neither obvious, nor something any management team in the NBA would have done. At least I don't think it's all that reasonable.

That team needed a Kawhi and nothing short of that in order to be more than a treadmill team. A 4th overall pick isn't that. The Raptors decided to get off the treadmill slowly with fewer assets received through trade. Dumb idea. They should have jumped off that treadmill swiftly with maximum assets received through trade. The goal SHOULD have been to have a few more young talented draft picks under contract right now with the possibility of hitting big on one like Jalen Williams. The Raptors should have traded the treadmill for more draft picks.

[Scalabrine]

So you think that not trading Van Vleet or Lowry and letting them walk for nothing was a mistake, but you think just letting Brown walk for nothing wouldn't be a mistake? Do you not see the hypocracy? He's a tradable asset!

Brown is a solid playmaker, a hustle guy, and does the little things on both ends of the court. He's also one of the best defensive players on this list. Right or not, the Raptors are trying to win games to start the season and Brown will help the team. If that doesn't pan out, then there will be plenty of teams that can make a move to get him.

Suns, Cavs, Heat, Sixers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Clippers, Thunder, Warriors all have salary matching pieces to acquire him and he'd be good fits with them. There are plenty of more teams too. He's the type of player that teams want on their team.

We'll have to see what he brings back, I don't think he's a positive asset, Indiana didn't think that, they gave him that conract intentionally to be a human trade exception.

...which was traded for Pascal Siakam! The contract worked for them and the Raptors got him with the thought process that they would flip him again. Keep digging.

[Mavrelous]

So you think that not trading Van Vleet or Lowry and letting them walk for nothing was a mistake, but you think just letting Brown walk for nothing wouldn't be a mistake? Do you not see the hypocracy? He's a tradable asset!

Brown is a solid playmaker, a hustle guy, and does the little things on both ends of the court. He's also one of the best defensive players on this list. Right or not, the Raptors are trying to win games to start the season and Brown will help the team. If that doesn't pan out, then there will be plenty of teams that can make a move to get him.

Suns, Cavs, Heat, Sixers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Clippers, Thunder, Warriors all have salary matching pieces to acquire him and he'd be good fits with them. There are plenty of more teams too. He's the type of player that teams want on their team.

We'll have to see what he brings back, I don't think he's a positive asset, Indiana didn't think that, they gave him that conract intentionally to be a human trade exception.

...which was traded for Pascal Siakam! The contract worked for them and the Raptors got him with the thought process that they would flip him again. Keep digging.

The contract filled its purpose, a trade exception...
Indiana sepecifically gave the 2nd year team option because it was an overpay, they wanted the optionality, there was no reason for TOR to opt in to this contract.

[Scalabrine]

We'll have to see what he brings back, I don't think he's a positive asset, Indiana didn't think that, they gave him that conract intentionally to be a human trade exception.

...which was traded for Pascal Siakam! The contract worked for them and the Raptors got him with the thought process that they would flip him again. Keep digging.

The contract filled its purpose, a trade exception...
Indiana sepecifically gave the 2nd year team option because it was an overpay, they wanted the optionality, there was no reason for TOR to opt in to this contract.

I mean...you're right there...you're saying all the words...youre understanding the concept... youre just choosing to argue with me?

How was did it work for the Pacers, but it won't work for the Raptors? It's the same contract. It can get them an asset, or they can let him walk and get nothing, exactly like what the Pacers just did. Nothing has changed. Why is this so difficult? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

[PushDaRock]

We'll have to see what he brings back, I don't think he's a positive asset, Indiana didn't think that, they gave him that conract intentionally to be a human trade exception.

...which was traded for Pascal Siakam! The contract worked for them and the Raptors got him with the thought process that they would flip him again. Keep digging.

The contract filled its purpose, a trade exception...
Indiana sepecifically gave the 2nd year team option because it was an overpay, they wanted the optionality, there was no reason for TOR to opt in to this contract.

What would be the benefit of not picking up his option and having cap space (19m) when there was nobody they wanted to sign?

Operating as an above the cap team, they still have the non tax payer MLE (12.8m) that they can use as a trade exception.

[Scalabrine]

...which was traded for Pascal Siakam! The contract worked for them and the Raptors got him with the thought process that they would flip him again. Keep digging.

The contract filled its purpose, a trade exception...
Indiana sepecifically gave the 2nd year team option because it was an overpay, they wanted the optionality, there was no reason for TOR to opt in to this contract.

What would be the benefit of not picking up his option and having cap space (19m) when there was nobody they wanted to sign?

Operating as an above the cap team, they still have the non tax payer MLE (12.8m) that they can use as a trade exception.

...and they wouldn't have just turned that into cap space. They are 30 million over the cap. Brown makes 23 million this year. In the same post he criticized Ujuri for letting FVV walk for nothing.

Dudes just digging his feet in and won't admit he's wrong.

[PushDaRock]

The contract filled its purpose, a trade exception...
Indiana sepecifically gave the 2nd year team option because it was an overpay, they wanted the optionality, there was no reason for TOR to opt in to this contract.

What would be the benefit of not picking up his option and having cap space (19m) when there was nobody they wanted to sign?

Operating as an above the cap team, they still have the non tax payer MLE (12.8m) that they can use as a trade exception.

...and they wouldn't have just turned that into cap space. They are 30 million over the cap. Brown makes 23 million this year. In the same post he criticized Ujuri for letting FVV walk for nothing.

Dudes just digging his feet in and won't admit he's wrong.

They would have had 19m in cap space at the time by declining Brown's option and renouncing Gary Trent's rights, but yeah it's insignificant because they weren't going to use the cap space in Free Agency and preferred to keep Brown, operate as an over cap team and have use of their non tax payer MLE for trades during the season.

[One_and_Done]

I don't even think Masai should have rebuilt. I'd have hung on to all the vets and paid them. What's frustrating is all the half measures, where he can't seem to commit to a rebuild or competing; a problem that continues to be a knife in the Raptors heart. They'll win about 34 games again this year too.

When a GM is trying to save his job by proving the rightness of his earlier decisions, that's when you fire him because that moral hazard is so dangerous to your franchise. I look at moves like overpaying for Poeltl, trying to keep the pick you traded for him in a bad draft (which would have led to losing a better pick next year), and re-signing Poeltl to play on a would be play in team, and it screams 'fire me'. You never want a GM making moves to keep his job.

[Yuri Vaultin]

Roger's buying is a worse case scenario. The dolt running the show makes Dolan seem like a rocket scientist.

[Zenzibar]

The biggest question mark IMO is the handling of the Scottie Barnes' contract.

The contract's impact stands to cause one of the highest differentials when comparing the #1 highest contract and the 2nd highest. Higher differential than even the Knicks.

The fact that Massai couldn't get Scottie to buy into the Team's future is what's causing the rumblings and as.the.main dude, he doesn't impact like Ant-man (talent comparison), then it was lack of foresight.

[Kurtz]

Overrated.

His number one accomplishment is drafting but how much of it is him and how much is his scouting?

The GM always gets full credit (or blame) for drafts - he's the one who hires the scouts and makes the final call.


Masai has been mid the last few years (though he had a great draft a couple of months ago picking up a bunch of assets for nothing), but his only major mistake was not tanking for Wemby. A lot of teams made the same mistake though - knowing what we know now I bet there'd be a tank war for him 2 years ago.

[Zenzibar]

We'll have to see what he brings back, I don't think he's a positive asset, Indiana didn't think that, they gave him that conract intentionally to be a human trade exception.

...which was traded for Pascal Siakam! The contract worked for them and the Raptors got him with the thought process that they would flip him again. Keep digging.

The contract filled its purpose, a trade exception...
Indiana sepecifically gave the 2nd year team option because it was an overpay, they wanted the optionality, there was no reason for TOR to opt in to this contract.

The bigger question is what kind of basketball environment has he built? Seems like at some point all the stars want to play elsewhere.

As.a.Knicks' fan, I'm happy for Quick and RJ and hope they have the proper environment in Toronto, to flourish.