3. All Great Monuments Need a Greater Architect
The mastermind behind the Toronto Raptors’ championship season is Masai Ujiri, president of basketball operations. While he’s been with the organization since 2013, these past few years have been full of calculated gambles that paid off big.
With the nose of a truffle hog, Ujiri sniffed out talent in every back alley he could find. Pascal Siakam was drafted at No. 27 overall. Fred VanVleet went undrafted and was a Summer League pickup. Norman Powell and Delon Wright are also products of Toronto’s G League pipeline.
Now, the rest of the league has picked up the extreme value that lies within a decisive force in the front office that will do anything to bring the franchise to new heights, even if it means sacrificing a beloved franchise star.
ESPN Sources: The Washington Wizards are preparing to make a prolific offer to Toronto's championship architect Masai Ujiri -- as much as $10M annually -- to run its basketball operations. https://t.co/KQf18YUkLN
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 14, 2019
If the Portland Trail Blazers wish to reach the same level of success, change must begin at the very top. While Neil Olshey has had his fair share of hits, he’s also wiggled the Blazers into financial hell. Due to awful decisions like signing Evan Turner to a four-year, $70 million albatross and stretching Andrew Nicholson’s contract all the way through 2024, Portland will not have the finances to seek out the NBA’s elite talent in free agency.
Instead, Olshey will need to learn how to seek out top talent in the most unexpected places. If he can’t do it, Portland must find someone who can. It’s not an impossible task; Ujiri built a championship team without a single lottery pick. No longer can excuses be made for not capitalizing on Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum’s athletic primes.