Great White Sharks are apparently like serial killers. They don’t just rush in and attack the first thing they see, rather they like to stalk their prey, from just out of site, waiting until it’s dark, and their victim is alone, and then, with a sudden rush, they attack.
Masai Ujiri has a bit of that shark in him.
After what seemed like years of aimless swimming, the Raptors president oversaw a sudden assault this week that had the NBA reeling.
Even the vaunted Shams Charania got spooked, accidentally releasing an X-cretion into the wild.
The fact that the Raps’ play for Damian Lillard didn’t ultimately work doesn’t keep it from being another example of the sort of bold move that Ujiri has been famous for in his career.
In the words of a different star who now seems unlikely to be available to the Raptors, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the deal wasn’t a failure. Rather it was part of the: ‘steps to success’.
Because, if nothing else, the Raptors again surfacing to take a bite at a star player nobody thought they had any business being in on is a reminder to the league, players, and hopefully the fans in Toronto, that this front office is dedicated to winning at the highest level.
If Masai’s patience in waiting for a shot at a player like Lillard to come available shows he won’t be sped up, no matter how loud the fanbase brays, the fact he was willing to go for the move also shows that the Raps’ braintrust is fully aware that the team, as presently constructed, isn’t good enough to win at that highest level.
So now, absent Dame, where does the shark swim from here?
HUNT FOR THE NEXT STAR
In many ways you get the feeling that this is Masai Ujiri’s preferred course. He’s never really indulged in a full teardown. Ujiri has instead show an uncommon willingness to sit in the middle, patiently waiting for something to shake loose while keeping the combination of “right now” and “future assets” to make a play.
The past two weeks have shown why that’s not such a bad strategy. It’s not just that the Raptors were close to acquiring Lillard, it was because of the team that DID make the deal. Milwaukee was terrified that Giannis would leave, and if this season had gone badly, Toronto would have, for several reasons, been a team firmly in the mix to acquire him.
The problem with the Giannis theory is the same problem that the Masai now faces in the theoretical quest for the next disgruntled star (Luka? Embiid? Zion?). Timing.
Dame didn’t just make potential sense on Toronto because of his fit, it was because he was available now – while Toronto still had pieces like OG Anunoby, Garry Trent Jr., and Precious Achiuwa on reasonable deals, and a legit number two in Pascal Siakam, around to pair Dame with.
It was theoretically possible that Giannis might bail on the Bucks after just one more disappointing season, just like it’s theoretically possible Luka or another star may want out this year, but it doesn’t feel likely.
