SACRAMENTO, CALIF.—For a salary dump, it worked out wonderfully. The Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings met here Sunday as teams continuing to trend in different directions, the Raptors trying to repeat as Eastern Conference finalists at least, the Kings toying with the idea of roster shake-ups as they attempt to become relevant in the Western Conference. In some ways, it can all be traced back to Dec. 9, 2013, and a blockbuster trade that turned out as one-sided as any in Raptors history. Masai Ujiri, then the Raptors general manager and looking to shed salary and get flexibility for the future, dealt away his highest paid player for a package of pieces whose arrival in Toronto rejuvenated the franchise. Ujiri admits it was all a gamble and he didn’t know how it would work out but, almost three years removed, it’s one of the slam dunks of his tenure.

Source: thestar November 21, 2016 03:33 UTC