Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri says he’s “never done anything wrong” to Kyle Lowry.
The All-Star point guard felt betrayed when Toronto traded his best friend DeMar DeRozan last summer.
Raptors President Masai Ujiri had QUITE the reaction to Kyle Lowry's frosty description of their relationship: "Kyle Lowry is always mad at me every year"
Remarkable to see both guys this candid; also remarkable that despite it all, both continue to deliver big-time for the Raps. pic.twitter.com/41WDqjO3EV— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) December 6, 2018
Ujiri says the acquisition of Kawhi Leonard gives Toronto their best chance to win.
Per ESPN:
“Ah, he’s the president of basketball operations. And that’s it,” Lowry said. “I mean, I come here and I do my job. … He does his job, I do my job. Right? That’s what you do.”
Five months after the trade that brought Leonard to the Raptors, it would appear to be a smart move, with the Raptors atop the NBA with a 21-5 record.
“We thought, ‘We have to change. We have to be better,'” Ujiri said, referring to the Raptors’ perennial ouster from the playoffs. “We have to be better; we have to win. The game is all about winning and treating people the right way. And honestly … god bless DeMar. What I did wrong was trade him. Yes, that’s what I did wrong if it’s wrong. You know, like, we traded players, but nothing else I did; there’s nothing else.”
Ujiri was also effusive in his praise for Lowry’s contributions and personality.
“It’s been like that with Kyle since I came here,” Ujiri said of their neutral but professional relationship. “We’ve never — we don’t have a confrontation. We don’t — I’ve never done anything wrong to him. It’s just this kind of decision-making that we have to go through. And I know how Kyle is, so honestly, I love him to death.
“He plays basketball the right way. He gives it his all, you know. And I’m so used to it. And you know he has a good heart. And I know that I haven’t done anything wrong to him. I didn’t trade him.”
