There’s some interesting thoughts in here about the front office’s general philosophy:
>In short, I’d call Ujiri’s general M.O. conservative opportunism. He leans toward things letting marinate, and only veers off that basic plan when the alternatives are either nonexistent or extremely fraught. Now, it’s fair to think the latter applies to the Raptors now, and it’s time for some action.
On them not trading Pascal for the rumoured Hawks package:
>1. They think they might be able to get more for Siakam in the future, with him signed to a long-term extension, rather than heading into free agency with the word out there that he will not sign an extension with a team that trades for him.
>2. They haven’t given up on the idea that Siakam, a top-25 player, can be a part of a Raptors team that wins more than your last question suggests.
>Or some combination of the above.
On last season’s issues:
>As for your bigger point, that’s something the front office is still assessing. The vibes were off, and that meant some friction between players, between players and the coaching staff and between the coaching staff and the front office. Were there too many personal agendas at play? I don’t think there were more than on your average team.
Asked which player would benefit the most from Darko’s hopeful development:
>It’s Achiuwa. I’m not sure Rajaković promises to have a bigger impact on him than anybody else, but the best version of Achiuwa is a massive difference maker. That guy can defend across the positional spectrum, hit a league-average percentage of 3s, finish above the rim and attack a close-out. That guy is a $20-million player, easily. But he has to put it together. An offence with more ball and player movement would help him disproportionately, I’d say.
On teams not trading with the Raptors over potentially being “fleeced”:
>Again, my opinion is that the Raptors are a patient — sometimes an overly patient — front office that prizes stability. Until they are absolutely sure they want to change paths, they aren’t making a significant move unless they think the value coming back would represent a decisive win in the transaction.
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There’s some interesting thoughts in here about the front office’s general philosophy:
>In short, I’d call Ujiri’s general M.O. conservative opportunism. He leans toward things letting marinate, and only veers off that basic plan when the alternatives are either nonexistent or extremely fraught. Now, it’s fair to think the latter applies to the Raptors now, and it’s time for some action.
On them not trading Pascal for the rumoured Hawks package:
>1. They think they might be able to get more for Siakam in the future, with him signed to a long-term extension, rather than heading into free agency with the word out there that he will not sign an extension with a team that trades for him.
>2. They haven’t given up on the idea that Siakam, a top-25 player, can be a part of a Raptors team that wins more than your last question suggests.
>Or some combination of the above.
On last season’s issues:
>As for your bigger point, that’s something the front office is still assessing. The vibes were off, and that meant some friction between players, between players and the coaching staff and between the coaching staff and the front office. Were there too many personal agendas at play? I don’t think there were more than on your average team.
Asked which player would benefit the most from Darko’s hopeful development:
>It’s Achiuwa. I’m not sure Rajaković promises to have a bigger impact on him than anybody else, but the best version of Achiuwa is a massive difference maker. That guy can defend across the positional spectrum, hit a league-average percentage of 3s, finish above the rim and attack a close-out. That guy is a $20-million player, easily. But he has to put it together. An offence with more ball and player movement would help him disproportionately, I’d say.
On teams not trading with the Raptors over potentially being “fleeced”:
>Again, my opinion is that the Raptors are a patient — sometimes an overly patient — front office that prizes stability. Until they are absolutely sure they want to change paths, they aren’t making a significant move unless they think the value coming back would represent a decisive win in the transaction.