Like anyone who is reading this, I love basketball. It’s a beautiful game to watch, challenges players to strive for excellence in a variety of different skills, and features some of the best all-around athletes in the world when played at its highest level.
As much as I love the game itself though, and perhaps even more so at some points, I love the drama of the NBA. From the bizarre characters that play, to the moments of tension within a game, to the ways in which teams are built.
It’s the team building that catches my attention the most. Every decision is a calculated gamble that can either bring a team closer to contention, or closer to the lottery basement…both of which can be the right direction depending upon the team’s position and direction.
All of which contributes to my two favourite times of the year being the NBA Draft and the Trade Deadline. Chaos is an almost certainty, and stupid/brilliant decisions are guaranteed to happen. Some teams will give away their future for the present (hey, Brooklyn!!), while others give up their present for hopes of the future.
With just over a month to go before the trade deadline (February 18, 3:00pm EST) the Raptors are far closer to contenders than they are to bottoming out, but it is still unclear what direction they will choose. Will they trade some of their future for a greater chance at competing immediately, stand pat, or make a franchise altering trade.
Zach Lowe pretty much wrote the book earlier this week on the Raptors’ present situation, and Blake took a look at some of the potential trade options that might be available at the deadline for Toronto, but rather than look forward it might be worth it to look backwards.
Afterall, it’s Masai Ujiri that will make the final decision and not even Woj knows what Masai will do in the future. With that in mind, what, if anything, can we learn from the types of moves that Masai has made to date in his career?
For refresher, Ujiri has been a General Manager in the NBA since he took the position in Denver in August of 2010, before becoming the decision maker in Toronto on May 31, 2013. During his time as a General Manager he has made a grand total of 14 trades over the last 5.5 years. A good number of these trades don’t actually matter, but here is the full list of trades that Ujiri has executed.
February 22, 2011:
Denver Trades: Carmelo Anthony, Renaldo Balkman, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, and Sheldon Williams, and a 2015 2nd round pick.
Denver Recieves: Kosta Koufos, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, cash, 2012 second round pick, 2013 second round pick, a 2014 first round pick, and a 2016 first round pick swap (Denver will receive higher pick)
June 23, 2011:
Denver Trades: Raymond Felton
Denver Receives: Jordan Hamilton, Andre Miller, and a 2014 second round pick
June 23, 2011:
Denver Trades: 2013 second round pick
Denver Receives: Chukwudiebere Maduabum
December 13, 2011:
Denver Trades: 2016 second round pick (top 55 protected)
Denver Receives: Cory Brewer and Rudy Fernandez
March 15, 2012:
Denver Trades: Nene
Denver Receives: JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf
August 10, 2012:
Denver Trades: Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, 2013 second round draft pick, and 2014 first round draft pick (lower of their two picks)
Denver Receives: Andre Iguodala
July 10, 2013:
Toronto Trades: Andrea Bargnani
Toronto Receives: Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, 2014 second round pick, 2016 first round draft pick (lower between New York and Denver), and a 2017 second round pick
December 9, 2013:
Toronto Trades: Quincy Acy, Rudy Gay, and Aaron Gray
Toronto Receives: Chuck Hayes, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, and Greivis Vasquez
February 20, 2014:
Toronto Trades: Austin Daye
Toronto Receives: Nando de Colo
June 27, 2014:
Toronto Trades: Xavier Thames
Toronto Receives: Cash
June 29, 2014:
Toronto Trades: John Salmons
Toronto Receives: Lucas Nogueira and Lou Williams
July 10, 2014:
Toronto Trades: Steve Novak and a 2017 second round pick
Toronto Receives: Diante Garrett
June 25, 2015:
Toronto Trades: Greivis Vasquez
Toronto Receives: Norman Powell and a 2017 first round pick
June 30, 2015:
Toronto Trades: Tomislav Zubcic
Toronto Receives: Luke Ridnour and cash
Five years…14 trades…and a few visible trends. So what have we learned?
1. Ujiri values draft picks highly.
Only once has a first round pick been outgoing from Ujiri’s storehouse, when the Nuggets acquired Andre Iguodala, and even in this circumstance it was the lower of the two picks that Denver owned. As for second round picks these have been used on occasion to dump salary (Steve Novak), but Ujiri has acquired more second round picks than he’s sent out.
With that said, Ujiri has admitted he is unlikely to use all four first round picks that he has over the next two years. With so many young prospects already on the roster, Ujiri now has a few extra draft picks to play with when it comes to trades, but based on his history these picks will still be highly protected.
2. Patience
Patience is a virtue, and Ujiri has shown to be a virtuous man. He waited out the New York Knicks for the best Carmelo deal possible, and managed to pit Brooklyn and New York against one another. While the pressure to trade Carmelo Anthony was mounting, and the Nuggets’ star was growing increasingly frustrated with being in Denver, Ujiri simply waited.
And while the world called for Bargnani to be rid of no matter what the cost, Ujiri took advantage of New York’s stupidity. Okay…this isn’t so much patience. This is just exploitation of the situation.
3. Opportunistic
Ujiri jumped at the chance to get involved in the Dwight Howard trade and add Iguodala, a much needed wing defender. He used John Salmon’s non-guaranteed contract to exploit Atlanta’s need to open up cap space.
Sure…none of this is groundbreaking, but it is comforting to me. Ujiri has shown himself to be a careful person, but one that is prepared to strike if the right deal comes along. Compared to the majority of this franchise’s history though, that’s something to hang your hat on.
It wouldn’t shock me if Ujiri pulled off something major/surprising, and it wouldn’t shock me if he stood pat. The one thing I do expect is that sitting out the trade deadline could make the draft season even more exciting.
Ujiri is waiting for his opportunity to strike, and I can hardly wait to see what he does next.
