“It doesn’t appear that they have any plans.” – Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors are discussed by Ryen Rusillo.
Anunoby and SIakam are expected to become free agents in the summer, so Ujiri would need to make some important decisions. The Toronto Raptors aren’t exactly among the best teams in the league right now, especially with Fred VanVleet no longer with them. The Houston Rockets, who have been unexpectedly successful this 2023–24 season, have acquired the All-Star guard.
After VanVleet, 29, rejected his $22.8 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent, the Raptors were unable to sign him. Nothing flew when team president Masai Ujiri attempted to trade him.
Even when things don’t seem good, Ujiri manages the Raptors in his own way. They also lost Nick Nurse, their excellent head coach and the man who guided them to their first NBA championship in 2019. Additionally, with Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby scheduled to become free agents in the upcoming summer, they risk losing additional players if they are not cautious.
They don’t appear to have any sort of plan. In the Bill Simmons podcast, Ryen Rusillo stated, “And then, everyone else in the league is like, yeah, Masai, he’s just, he does his own thing.”
It seems that Ujiri is taking a while to recover from winning the NBA team’s one and only championship. But if Ujiri wants to stick with the Raptors, he may need to take that into consideration going future as management would undoubtedly demand more. “To be honest, I kind of respect it. However, Rusillo continued, “It just seems like he feels no pressure at all because of that title.” Who ought the Raptors to place in between Siakam and Anunoby?
The Raptors will eventually have to make the decision on whether to retain Anunoby and Siakam. Siakam’s performance declined after averaging 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 71 games during the regular season. He has played in 27 games this season and his averages are 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 34.6 minutes.
Anunoby hasn’t exactly excelled either. He has also displayed a declining performance, averaging 14.7 points, four rebounds, 2.5 assists, and a steal in 23 games, down from an average of 16.8 points, five rebounds, two assists, and 1.9 steals.
If the Raptors had to choose, Simmons advises them to invest in the younger Anunoby instead of Siakam. “I would rather invest in OG despite some of the health stuff in the beginning than I would see Siakam,” Simmons stated.”Because, see, Siakam is such a diminished version of who he’s been,” he explained.
Something is visible to Ujiri in Anunoby. If Ujiri wanted it to happen, a superstar player might give the Raptors a lift. Regrettably, he refused to engage Anunoby in a trade agreement.
The Raptors would prefer to keep the former Indiana Hoosier because they see something in him despite his reputation as a role player. Many question if it was a smart decision to give him up when it could have resulted in either Damian Lillard or Kevin Durant. Nonetheless, Simmons identifies one rationale for the Raptors’ prudent decision to hold onto Anunoby. “16 [points] and five [rebounds] for three straight years – can’t sacrifice that guy,” Simmons commented.
When Anunoby and Siakam’s contracts expire in the offseason, the narrative might be different. Will the summer bring one or the other back? All of that might rely on how the Raptors do in the 2023–24 campaign.