Change is inevitable. But change is also hard. Whether it’s changing your diet, your car, your house, your job, or the city you live in — it’s a grueling, uncomfortable, and oftentimes emotional process.
The Raptors have endured a lot of change this past year. They said goodbye to their All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet in July. Six months later they traded their all-defensive wing and fan-favorite OG Anunoby to the Knicks and three weeks after that, said goodbye to their franchise cornerstone of the last five seasons, Pascal Siakam. The trading of Siakam, one of the best stories in NBA history, and the example of the Raptors development program over the last decade, marked the end of the most successful era in franchise history for Toronto.
You could feel that conclusion, the inevitable fin, weighing on long-time Raptors President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri as he entered the media room at OVO Athletic Centre.
“Pascal’s success is my success. None of you know Pascal as much as I knew him,” said Ujiri a day after trading Siakam, who he had seen grow into a man through his eight years with the Raptors.
In that hour-long press conference, Ujiri cried, he laughed, he joked, he clawed at his face contemplating the decisions he’s made over the last few years, and in a sort of confessional type of way, was the most honest and transparent he’s ever been when it comes to the missteps the Raptors organization had taken post-2019 championship to lead them to this point.
At the same time, he was excited.
His smile showed the relief he felt to be rid of the drama and uncertainty that loomed over this Raptors organization for the last two seasons and his enthusiasm showed when talking about building a new future, one that centers around a younger face-of-the-franchise in Scottie Barnes.