The Toronto Raptors have been a busy team this offseason thanks to new general manager Masai Ujiri. Stepping into a tough situation, Ujiri has done a phenomenal job as the new leader of this franchise.
One of the biggest problems in all of the NBA recently was the fact that the Raptors could not get rid of the contract of Andrea Bargnani. It was blatantly obvious that Bargnani was not a part of the team’s future plans and with his enormous contract weighing down the team’s salary, he had to be moved.
In a trade with the New York Knicks, Ujiri sent Bargnani to the Big Apple in exchange for Marcus Camby, Steve Novak and Quentin Richardson. Only Novak remains with the team, now, after Camby was waived and signed with the Houston Rockets while Richardson, on the other hand, was just waived by Toronto.
It was rumored that the Raptors wanted to find a trade partner for Richardson before finally coming to the decision to let him go altogether. After all, it was the smart thing to do to attempt to try and get something for, well, not much at all.
Richardson is definitely on the decline but in the right system could still provide some scoring off the bench. The veteran swingman is not nearly what he once was and has been more of an inconsistent shooter in his recent years. The Raptors are attempting to get younger and build for the future, and Richardson simply didn’t fit that mold.
If Ujiri continues at this pace, the Raptors will find themselves in an even better position heading into next year. Who knows what could be on tap for next summer’s free agency frenzy. The Raptors, under Ujiri, could be a completely different team in a couple of years.
Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
