"We won. Nobody cares anymore. We want to win another one" - Masai Ujiri talks to media after Toronto Raptors' disappointing season in Tampa
President of basketball operations for the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri, will be looking to turn his side's fortunes around next season after a disappointing 2020-21 campaign. Calling Florida their new home due to border controls in place because of the ongoing pandemic, the Raptors struggled from the start.
Having uprooted the organization and being severely affected by covid-19, the Raptors finished with a 27-45 record - their worst since 2012.
This has left the franchise with a long summer ahead. Leader Kyle Lowry will become an unrestricted free agent, they need a new dominating center and Ujiri himself is expected to sign a new contract with the team. For him to do that, though, a lot will depend on what the ownership has planned for the years ahead.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Ujiri was very clear on what his desires were for the Toronto Raptors. He said:
"This is about winning a championship again. Everybody has forgotten what happened two years ago. We won. Nobody cares anymore. We want to win another one ... everybody's like why dont you get in the play in? Play in for what?"
Masai Ujiri loves Toronto Raptors but is yet to agree new contract
After making the postseason on seven straight occasions, the Toronto Raptors slipped to 12th place in the conference and were a shadow of their former selves this year. In what could be a summer of change at the franchise, fans will be hoping and expecting that President Masai Ujiri is given the necessary contract to make him stay.
So too will the players and staff, who have all been full of praise for Ujiri recently, including their veteran leader Lowry.
The 50-year-old has been the architect of the team's years of success, including their first championship in 2019, prior to which he swapped star DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard. That move proved to be pivotal after Leonard had one of the great playoff performances the NBA has ever seen.
Ujiri is not content with just one ring, though, and made it known to reporters today that he is intent on taking the Raptors forward toward more success, if that is what the ownership wants. He said:
“Everyone says blank cheque, blank cheque...but we want to prepare ourself to win another championship. So what is the next lift, what is the next five years, the next 10 years?"
If he does stay, he will have several issues to solve on and off the court. The Toronto Raptors were one of the worst sides in the paint this year, grabbing the third-least rebounds of any team and allowing the seventh-most. Although Chris Boucher and Freddie Gillespie impressed down the back-stretch of the season, Ujiri will need to do a better job in the market than his choice of bringing in Aron Baynes last year.
Off the court, he is intent on getting the Toronto Raptors back to Canada where they belong, as reported by Sportsnet reporter Michael Grange.
“I love this organization, I love our guys .... I’m going to call Trudeau right now and make sure we get back here [to Toronto].”
Masai Ujiri has done a lot for the Toronto Raptors, therefore, we can expect that he will still be with the franchise next season. He has formed an intrinsic bond between the players, management and coaches, which their success has been built upon. Hopefully for Raptors fans, they will be back in Canada next season and can fill the Scotiabank Arena again.