> It’s one thing to exercise patience with a team that was perennially winning north of 50 games and qualifying for the playoffs. But with his competitive fire burning, a contract that expires in 2026 and the top of the MLSE board in flux, will Ujiri have the stomach for what comes next?
>“Sometimes rebuilds can take three to six years,” he said. “Sometimes teams act before [that]. I think we’re going to see how this process goes and use our instincts with it, but patience is going to be a big thing with this team.”
>On one hand, it’s justifiable. To the point that Ujiri made after trading Siakam to Indiana in January, and then twice more at Wednesday’s press conference, most teams at this stage of a rebuild have little more than future draft picks and cap space to their name. Most of them are looking for a star, a franchise player worth building around, and many need to bottom out and tank for multiple seasons before they’re in a position to find that guy.
>The Raptors are fortunate; they feel like they’ve already found him in Scottie Barnes, the 22-year-old all-star who’s fresh off a breakout third NBA season. That’s not a bad place from which to start. From there, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett – acquired from New York in the Anunoby deal – and Gradey Dick, who made major strides during the second half of his rookie campaign, round out a promising young nucleus.
> They’re probably not good enough to make any kind of meaningful playoff run, not yet anyway. Could they squeeze into the play-in tournament next season? If everything breaks the right way, it’s possible, and that’s the dilemma.
>Even if Barnes continues on his trajectory to superstardom, and even if Quickley, Barrett and Dick develop into complementary – or even foundational – pieces, the Raptors are going to need more.
>If Toronto is going to add talent next to Barnes and the others, the safest bet is through the draft.
>If they lose the pick, and perhaps even if they don’t, there’s an argument for embracing the rebuild and going into next season prioritizing lottery balls over wins – starting the campaign as they ended this one, or for the lack of a better term, tanking.There are plenty of reasons not to do it, to be fair.
>Still, as the end of this season showed, bad basketball can be hard to watch, and with ticket prices continuing to rise at Scotiabank Arena, how would ownership feel if and when attendance numbers start to fall?
>On top of that, losing is hard on an organization, its coaches, players and culture.
> Rather than spending it in free agency, which seems unlikely, they could also find themselves in position to use it tactically in the trade market, given the number of tax teams that will be looking to avoid the harsh penalties of the new CBA and unload salary. They’ll also need to sell Barnes and the others on their long-term vision, like OKC did with Gilgeous-Alexander, to the point that he’s willing to take a strategic step back if it means, eventually, taking a big step forward.
ZieMac7
Almost all teams that go through a rebuild don’t do so without personnel changes to their front office. I’d expect Bobby Webster to be the first one to be let go, especially with 2026 around the corner
Edit: caping for Webster who brings nothing to the table both in and out of the front office. The team’s culture it set through Masai. They could get rid of BW tomorrow and almost nobody would notice.
WeBelieveIn4
I’m patient. I just hope the front office will be.
earlyearlgray
Lack of patience is not this FO’s problem
forustree
I don’t care if he’s right or wrong (Masai). I like “how” he’s right or wrong. I bet his style is appreciated by player’s when it comes down to it .. and the Raptors value appreciation over his time, the breadth of revenue growth .. buys him as much time as his current contract.
He’s firing bullets (live ammo).
forustree
They need a monster player at center. Certainly have since covid. It’s a key that unlocks..
Nice-Elk-1168
Patience tested? They are very patient lol. Being too patient is the problem.
7 Comments
> It’s one thing to exercise patience with a team that was perennially winning north of 50 games and qualifying for the playoffs. But with his competitive fire burning, a contract that expires in 2026 and the top of the MLSE board in flux, will Ujiri have the stomach for what comes next?
>“Sometimes rebuilds can take three to six years,” he said. “Sometimes teams act before [that]. I think we’re going to see how this process goes and use our instincts with it, but patience is going to be a big thing with this team.”
>On one hand, it’s justifiable. To the point that Ujiri made after trading Siakam to Indiana in January, and then twice more at Wednesday’s press conference, most teams at this stage of a rebuild have little more than future draft picks and cap space to their name. Most of them are looking for a star, a franchise player worth building around, and many need to bottom out and tank for multiple seasons before they’re in a position to find that guy.
>The Raptors are fortunate; they feel like they’ve already found him in Scottie Barnes, the 22-year-old all-star who’s fresh off a breakout third NBA season. That’s not a bad place from which to start. From there, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett – acquired from New York in the Anunoby deal – and Gradey Dick, who made major strides during the second half of his rookie campaign, round out a promising young nucleus.
> They’re probably not good enough to make any kind of meaningful playoff run, not yet anyway. Could they squeeze into the play-in tournament next season? If everything breaks the right way, it’s possible, and that’s the dilemma.
>Even if Barnes continues on his trajectory to superstardom, and even if Quickley, Barrett and Dick develop into complementary – or even foundational – pieces, the Raptors are going to need more.
>If Toronto is going to add talent next to Barnes and the others, the safest bet is through the draft.
>If they lose the pick, and perhaps even if they don’t, there’s an argument for embracing the rebuild and going into next season prioritizing lottery balls over wins – starting the campaign as they ended this one, or for the lack of a better term, tanking.There are plenty of reasons not to do it, to be fair.
>Still, as the end of this season showed, bad basketball can be hard to watch, and with ticket prices continuing to rise at Scotiabank Arena, how would ownership feel if and when attendance numbers start to fall?
>On top of that, losing is hard on an organization, its coaches, players and culture.
> Rather than spending it in free agency, which seems unlikely, they could also find themselves in position to use it tactically in the trade market, given the number of tax teams that will be looking to avoid the harsh penalties of the new CBA and unload salary. They’ll also need to sell Barnes and the others on their long-term vision, like OKC did with Gilgeous-Alexander, to the point that he’s willing to take a strategic step back if it means, eventually, taking a big step forward.
Almost all teams that go through a rebuild don’t do so without personnel changes to their front office. I’d expect Bobby Webster to be the first one to be let go, especially with 2026 around the corner
Edit: caping for Webster who brings nothing to the table both in and out of the front office. The team’s culture it set through Masai. They could get rid of BW tomorrow and almost nobody would notice.
I’m patient. I just hope the front office will be.
Lack of patience is not this FO’s problem
I don’t care if he’s right or wrong (Masai).
I like “how” he’s right or wrong.
I bet his style is appreciated by player’s when it comes down to it .. and the Raptors value appreciation over his time, the breadth of revenue growth .. buys him as much time as his current contract.
He’s firing bullets (live ammo).
They need a monster player at center. Certainly have since covid.
It’s a key that unlocks..
Patience tested? They are very patient lol. Being too patient is the problem.