Toronto Raptors

Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri addressed his incident with police at Oracle Arena immediately following the Raptors' Game 6 win over the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.

"I'm confident in who I am as a human being," Ujiri said Tuesday, per The Athletic's Eric Koreen.

According to Koreen, Ujiri added he will wait for police to wrap up their investigation to comment further.

"I respect authority and I'll wait until that happens," he said.

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office alleged an officer had approached Ujiri when he was walking on the court to ensure he had the proper credentials. Ujiri then got into a shoving match with the officer and struck him in the face.

A lawyer representing the officer told reporters the officer suffered a concussion and a jaw injury and was considering filing a lawsuit against Ujiri.

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office confirmed to the Globe and Mail's Robyn Doolittle that Ujiri informed the officer who he was and supplied official identification. However, he allegedly failed to supply the proper credential necessary to access the court.

Although police spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly said Ujiri hit the officer underneath his jaw, Doolittle wrote three eyewitnesses claimed "they never saw Mr. Ujiri strike the officer's face."

Authorities continue to look into whether the Raptors front-office executive should be charged with misdemeanor battery. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed to TMZ Sports the league is investigating the claims as well.

Kawhi Leonard's free agency will have enormous ripple effects around the NBA, and the team he decides on will be among the favorites to win a title next season. 

Returning to the Toronto Raptors remains a possibility, and president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri spoke about Leonard's impending free agency with reporters Tuesday:

Masai Ujiri says he’s had good conversations with Kawhi. Has talked to Uncle Dennis and his representation and thinks they’ll figure out a time to meet with Kawhi.

— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) June 25, 2019

https://twitter.com/ekoreen/status/1143539279152463875

Masai admits that the Raps will be in a bit of a holding pattern until Kawhi makes his decision, but thinks they're built to do that and be fine without reacting to everything else that goes on. "We'll wait. He's our player and he's a superstar on our team and we'll wait on that"

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) June 25, 2019

If Leonard returns to Toronto, the Raptors will arguably be the favorites to repeat as NBA champions depending on what other teams do in free agency. But if he departs, the Raptors will likely transition to a rebuild.

Kyle Lowry's $33.2 million salary could be hard to move, though the Raptors would probably put him on the trade block. Marc Gasol could be shopped as well if he opts into his $25.5 million player option, or he could walk in free agency. Danny Green may not be re-signed. The Raptors would turn to building around Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and perhaps Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell. 

Granted, Toronto wants Leonard back, and unsurprisingly, Leonard's intentions remain unclear. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported during the NBA draft that the Clippers and Raptors were "at the front of the line" when it came to signing the superstar forward, though he added that Leonard could also meet with the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets. 

Granted, some of those teams may not be willing to wait to take a meeting with Leonard. If Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris are willing to re-sign in Philly, the Sixers likely wouldn't wait around and risk losing either player. If Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant commit to Brooklyn, it's hard to imagine the Nets telling that pair to wait around until the team can meet with Leonard. 

But the Raptors can afford to sit in a holding pattern while Leonard mulls his future. They'll either be contenders if he's back or will rebuild if he leaves. There doesn't appear to be much of a middle ground. 

Nearly two weeks after the Toronto Raptors won their first NBA championship, team president Masai Ujiri has confirmed he intends to remain with the organization. 

Ujiri made the announcement during a Tuesday press conference: "For me, it's always been about Toronto. I love it here. … My wife loves it here, which is very important. My kids are Canadian."

Immediately after the Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Washington Wizards were prepared to offer Ujiri a deal worth at least $10 million annually and an ownership stake in the organization to run their basketball operations. 

Instead, Ujiri expressed his desire to help Toronto win multiple championships. 

"We want to experience this moment here again and again and again. ... Serge [Ibaka] came in the other day and was like, 'Boss man, Boss man, I really think we can win two more,'" he said. 

As much as Ujiri wants to keep the Raptors on top of the NBA world, he jokingly presented one potential scenario he considered for his press conference:

In the wake of winning a title, the next order of business for Ujiri and the Raptors will be convincing Kawhi Leonard to re-sign.

Per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Leonard is "seriously considering" staying in Toronto after he reportedly declined his $21.3 million option for next season. 

"I've had very good meetings with (Leonard) the last few days," Ujiri told reporters about retaining the NBA Finals MVP. 

The Raptors could bring back most of the roster. Leonard and Danny Green are their only significant unrestricted free agents. Marc Gasol has a $25.6 million player option he must decide on by June 27. 

Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are all under contract for at least one more season. 

Even with a lot of pieces potentially on the move around the NBA during free agency, Ujiri will bring back the nucleus of a title team if Leonard stays. He's been able to make bold moves in six years with the organization, so no one should bet against his ability to retain the star.

A year ago, few outside of NBA diehards knew Pascal Siakam's name.

One massive star turn later and the Toronto Raptors forward is the NBA's Most Improved Player.

"I'm just blessed to be able to make this dream become a reality." 🙌@pskills43 accepts his #KiaMIP award at the #NBAAwards. pic.twitter.com/rIxofpv8up

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 25, 2019

Siakam won the accolade at Monday's NBA Awards, defeating finalists D'Angelo Russell and De'Aaron Fox. He averaged 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 2018-19, helping lead Toronto to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

"I don't know who else is even really up for it, who the voting's between, all that stuff. I know that if anybody's done more than this kid, has improved more, has impacted the team more and continued to improve from even geez, 20 games ago," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said in April, per Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. "He just keeps taking another step forward, there has been no steps back.

"He's certainly deserving. If there's somebody else who is deserving, then sometimes that's the way it works. But he's had an unbelievable season."

Siakam's leaps in every category from 2017-18 to 2018-19 are staggering:

PPG: 7.3 to 16.9

RPG: 4.5 to 6.9

APG: 2.0 to 3.1

Threes Made: 29 to 79

Win Shares: 4.7 to 9.3

Essentially, Siakam went from being a solid bit player off the bench to a borderline foundational player. The Raptors outscored opponents by 11 points per 100 possessions when Siakam was on the floor and were outscored by 2.9 points when he sat.

"I'm definitely not a personal-type guy where I care about personal accolades and stuff, but definitely a team-guy first," he said. "Something like that, in terms of who I am and the person that I've become, and people that know my story and how I came up, that would mean a lot just because that's me. Like, that's literally who I am as a player and as a person."

While it's a regular-season award, Siakam was also vital in the Raptors' run to winning the NBA championship. He averaged 19.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists during the run, including a 26-point, 10-rebound performance in Toronto's clinching Game 6 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Adding the MIP to his mantle is just the icing on top of a storybook campaign.

The newly born controversy surrounding whether championship teams will make a customary visit to the White House has migrated north of the border. 

In a TMZ Sports video posted Monday, San Antonio Spur DeMar DeRozan was asked whether he would be "mad" at his former team for not wanting to go to the White House. "S--t, I wouldn't go either," DeRozan responded. 

Over the weekend, Raptors guard Danny Green expressed a similar viewpoint to Yahoo Sports Canada: 

Raptors to the White House?

"To put it politely, I think it's a hard no." - @DGreen_14 pic.twitter.com/do6vyQa7O7

— Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) June 22, 2019

Green arrived in Toronto alongside Kawhi Leonard last summer in the trade that sent DeRozan to the Spurs. Previously, DeRozan had spent his whole NBA career with the Raptors since 2009.

As the first Canadian team to win an NBA title, the Raptors are in unfamiliar territory. However, head coach Nick Nurse confirmed to SportsNet590 last week the team is already planning to visit Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (h/t TMZ).

Kawhi Leonard won a second NBA championship, a second Finals MVP and capped it all off by treating millions of fans to his infamous laugh for a second, glorious time.

Now, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports has reported that, as expected, Leonard will decline his player option to become an unrestricted free agent—and, less expected, that the Toronto Raptors are now favorites to pay the Board Man.

If Haynes' sources are correct, then Toronto may be primed for a second run at the Larry O'Brien trophy. 

Yahoo Sources: Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard declining $21.3 million player option to become unrestricted free agent with the Finals MVP seriously considering re-signing. https://t.co/cWhpcyyjXO pic.twitter.com/c8qNBOi0Nu

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 23, 2019

While true that Toronto is the only team that can present Leonard with a five-year, $189.7 million max deal (other teams can offer four years and $140.6 million), he is more likely to sign a one-plus-one contract.

If Leonard signs a two-year deal, in Toronto or elsewhere, he will be a 10-year, veteran free agent in 2021 with eligibility for the vet max (35 percent of the salary cap, which Spotrac projects at $121 million).

Haynes' sources suggest that "rival executives view his current team as the favorite to land him when the free-agent negotiating period begins."

Without word from Kawhi's camp, the expectations of rival executives are far from definitive. But it feels safe to say the Raptors have joined Leonard's hometown Los Angeles Clippers as front-runners to woo the superstar.

   

Al Horford

The free-agent negotiation period opens June 30, and one player whose decision has the potential to impact Leonard's is Al Horford.

First, Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported that Horford is drawing interest from the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. Then, NBC Sports Boston reporter A. Sherrod Blakely suggested that the Brooklyn Nets could be in play. Now, the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett isolated the Mavericks and Clippers as favorites to land the 33-year-old, five-time All-Star. 

The two teams I've been hearing from last Monday for Al Horford are the Clippers and Dallas. Still think the Clips make the most sense, especially if they can land Kawhi Leonard. Dallas might be shaky on a fourth year for Al, who turned 33 earlier this month.

— Steve Bulpett (@SteveBHoop) June 22, 2019

Committing big money to an older big man doesn't feel savvy, but Horford's game should age well and can help turn a team into a true contender.

The 6'10", 245-pound big can stretch the floor (38.2 percent from three in three years as a Celtic), spread the ball around (4.6 assists per game as a Celtic) and use his IQ and technique to play smart, well-positioned defense.

Although Jerry West doesn't seem likely to commit money to an aging star while his Clippers rebuild, that entire dynamic shifts depending on Leonard's interest. Similarly, Kawhi's taste for championship contention may be tempted by the prospect of joining Horford back home on a Los Angeles team that's not overshadowed by LeBron James. 

Horford may choose to contend with a Los Angeles team or help a culture-driven organization like Dallas take its next steps, or, in a poetic twist, he may end up back with Kyrie Irving as the latter replaces D'Angelo Russell in Brooklyn.

    

D'Angelo Russell

The Russell situation is murky at best, as the Nets' aggressive interest in Irving has led to endless speculation about the renouncing of Russell's rights so that he can sign wherever he chooses. Two strong candidates are the Phoenix Suns and the Minnesota Timberwolves given his friendships with the Suns' Devin Booker and the Timberwolves' Karl-Anthony Towns and each organization's needs for a franchise point guard.

"I would love to play with him," Booker told Greg Logan of Newsday (h/t NetsDaily) in November about how much he would like to team up with his longtime friend. Then, during the NBA draft, the Suns passed up on UNC point guard Coby White at No. 6 in a move down with the Timberwolves that landed Cameron Johnson and Dario Saric in Phoenix. Fittingly, the Timberwolves also passed up on White and selected wing Jarrett Culver instead. 

As Karl-Anthony Towns told UPROXX in June, Minnesota's courting of Russell is loud and clear: "I pay very close attention to free agency. And D'Angelo is not getting whispers, he's getting more of a yell from a microphone."

And this has been echoed by Zach Lowe on his Lowe Post podcast (h/t RealGM): 

"There has been a lot of Minnesota, D'Angelo Russell noise. And it's not all Karl Towns commenting on Instagram because they're friends. Minnesota has communicated to the league, not the NBA league, just the league at large that they believe they have a pathway to get D'Angelo Russell."

Among questions @BobbyMarks42, @DraftExpress and I discuss on Today's Lowe Post: NOP's haul for AD; Atlanta's play at the top of the draft; what exactly did Phoenix do?; Kyrie, Russell, and Brooklyn's dilemma; much more: https://t.co/Qjw1JGqVQl

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 21, 2019

The financial situation doesn't work in Minnesota, but the roster fit does. If Timberwolves general manager Scott Layden is able to move some combination of Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague and Gorgui Dieng, then Towns' microphone work may pay off. Look for Leonard, Horford and Russell to be among the biggest chips to fall once the free-agent negotiating period opens June 30.

Drake's father, Dennis Graham, was rooting for the Toronto Raptors to beat the Golden State Warriors in this year's NBA Finals for more than one reason. Turns out he had quite a bit of scratch on the outcome. 

"I am the happiest guy in the world," he told TMZ Sports. "I bet $100,000 on the game and I won $300,000."

Who wouldn't be celebrating after winning that bet? 

Graham also had an opinion on whether the Raptors should visit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau or United States President Donald Trump after their title, saying the Raptors should skip the White House.

"Justin Trudeau is a much classier guy than that idiot Donald Trump," he said. 

With Danny Green already saying a White House visit was a "hard no" and Drake's father calling Trump an idiot, it sounds like a White House visit is definitely out for the Raptors.

As the Toronto Raptors continue celebrating their NBA championship, the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics undoubtedly have some level of regret at not making more robust trade offers last summer.

Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com reported each of those teams feared Leonard would bolt for Los Angeles in free agency this summer, leading to them being more conservative in trade negotiations.

The Raptors traded DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first-round pick to San Antonio (that wound up being Keldon Johnson) for Leonard and Danny Green in a deal that looks like a pilfering in hindsight. Leonard led the Raptors to their first NBA title with one of the more legendary playoff runs in league history, scoring the third-most points in a single postseason.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported the Spurs wanted either Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons from the Sixers, who declined to make either available. Lowe also reported the Celtics refused to include either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown in discussions for Leonard.

Of the two teams, the Celtics clearly have more to regret. Embiid and Simmons are franchise cornerstones. The Sixers were also far from risk-averse this season, trading for both Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler on expiring contracts. They were also the only team to take Toronto to seven games, which means they could be closer to contention than a second-round exit would suggest.

The Celtics, on the other hand, appear to be in a state of complete disarray. Kyrie Irving appears to be a lock to leave the franchise after a falling out, and Al Horford may not be far behind them. Boston spent most of the season struggling to find chemistry in a locker room mixed with young players and veterans. Leonard would have fit the win-now bill with Irving and Horford, which may have made it less likely any of the players left in free agency.

The Raptors saw the fruits of their all-in bet with Leonard leading them to a championship and becoming a hero in Toronto. He's now considered perhaps even likely to stay with the team for at least one or two more years, though the L.A. threat does loom. 

No one knows what Kawhi will ultimately do, but the Sixers and Celtics have to regret their hesitance. 

In a widely expected move, Kawhi Leonard will decline his 2019-20 player option with the Toronto Raptors to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

However, Haynes noted that Leonard is "believed to be seriously considering re-signing with the Raptors."

Leonard would have earned roughly $21.3 million in 2019-20 had he exercised the option. But even if he intends to return to the Raptors, opting out was a no-brainer for the three-time All-Star. The Raptors can offer him a five-year, $189.7 million max extension, while other teams can't give him more than a four-year, $140.6 million contract.

The 27-year-old also may prefer to take the LeBron James or Kevin Durant approach, where he signs a short-term deal that would allow him to opt out again in a year or two. Doing so would allow him to ink an even heftier max contract in 2021 or beyond.

One prime option for Kawhi, remember, is signing a two-year, $70 million deal with Toronto -- with a player option in Year 2 -- that allows him to run it back with the Raptors for one more year and do this all again next summer

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 23, 2019

Either way, Leonard had no reason to see out the remainder of his old contract.

Now the question becomes whether he stays in Toronto or bolts after one season.

Leonard and the Raptors didn't get off to a great start after they acquired him from the San Antonio Spurs last July. Shortly afterward, Sporting News' Sean Deveney reported Leonard had "no interest" in playing for his new team.

Over time, the relationship between the two sides grew stronger. In March, TSN's Josh Lewenberg reported Toronto was "increasingly confident" about its chances to retain Leonard this summer:

"However, as they've gotten to know Leonard better, they have come to understand the other priorities that drive him on daily basis. That's what their pitch will centre on: trust, familiarity, a commitment to maintaining his health and the shared goal of chasing a championship, as well as the extra year and contract worth nearly $50 million more than anyone else can offer."

Then came the first NBA championship in Raptors history, an achievement that wouldn't have been possible without Leonard. He averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists throughout the playoffs, building a case for himself as the NBA's best player.

The Raptors built their offense around Leonard. According to Basketball Reference, his 30.3 usage rate was the highest on the team, and he attempted the most shots (1,129) of any Raptor despite missing 22 regular-season games.

Leonard sat out so frequently because Toronto wanted to proactively manage his workload following an injury-plagued 2017-18 season, when he was limited to nine games due to a quadriceps issue. With an eye toward winning his trust and preserving him for the playoffs, the coaching staff was careful not to push him too hard during the regular season.

General manager Masai Ujiri took a big risk sending a fan favorite in DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio for a player who might only be a one-year rental. Because of that, the Raptors had to go above and beyond to make Leonard feel comfortable.

Leonard said the plan ultimately ensured his effectiveness into the postseason.

"If we didn't do that, I wouldn't be here right now for sure.”

Kawhi Leonard tells @Rachel__Nichols that the Raptors' load management plan for him helped in the long run. pic.twitter.com/KtyxtjBJi7

— ESPN (@espn) June 7, 2019

When the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Paul George in July 2017, almost everybody expected him to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers the following summer.

George later admitted he had envisioned going to Los Angeles—until he played in Oklahoma City and realized he wanted to stay with the Thunder, signing a four-year, $136.9 million extension.

The Raptors can offer Leonard more money than any other team and can provide him with the opportunity to once again contend for a title. The road back to the Finals might even be more open depending on how free agency shakes out for the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks.

The opportunity to go to a bigger market such as Los Angeles is "enticing" to Leonard, according to Haynes. However, Toronto has plenty working in its favor as it looks to sell him on the direction of the franchise.

Nick Nurse: NBA championship-winning coach, owner of self-branded hats and rockstar?

That was the case when the Toronto Raptors coach joined the Arkells to perform during a concert Saturday:

https://twitter.com/sdbcraig/status/1142626691606556672

https://twitter.com/sdbcraig/status/1142627545201987584

To be fair, we already knew Nurse considered himself quite the shredder.

We just didn't know how good he could be. Was he that dude in the freshman dorm who would break out his acoustic guitar and play "Wonderwall" the whole night because that's the only song he knew? Would he have been Jimi Hendrix in another life if basketball wasn't his calling?

It appears the answer is somewhere very much in the middle. Nurse more than capably hit his notes, had a great time and fit the billing of a jam-band rocker you could see at a dive bar in any major city across the country.