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Of the four players the Raptors received in the trade, only one remains on the roster. But the message had been sent to the NBA: The Raptors were on the rise. Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and the Brooklyn Nets.
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They lost an intense seven-game series in the first-round vs. In the wake of the Gay trade, the Raps had found their identity as a team, the fans reclaimed their voice- louder than it had ever been- and DeRozan and Lowry emerged as a bona fide one-two punch worth building a team around. It was a dream run that culminated in a franchise-record 48 regular-season wins and the Raps first playoff birth in six seasons. Another newcomer, the veteran Hayes, almost instantly became a major voice in the locker room and de facto assistant coach. Patterson, a dangerous utility weapon, and Vasquez, the ultimate (in Bill Simmons parlance) “irrational confidence guy”, combined to average nearly 20 points per off the bench. DeRozan’s scoring numbers jumped from 18 points per game the previous season to over 22, gaining confidence from being anointed the Raps clear-cut go-to scorer. Terrence Ross averaged over 12 points per game and shot 40 per cent from deep after he was inserted into the starting lineup post-trade. Individually, virtually every player on the roster benefited. Let’s take a look at the repercussions of Ujiri’s Rudy Gay trade, then and now. It’s hard to believe that the four players the Raptors got in return would help form one of the NBA’s most effective bench units, let alone have an impact that would continue to be felt today. Looking at those names, Gay’s stands out like Al Pacino in an Adam Sandler movie.
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Toronto Raptors receive: Grievis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes Sacramento Kings receive: Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray While the Raps were intent on staying competitive post-trade, those looked like tantalizing consolation prizes.īut sometimes you have to get lucky to win, and by unloading a star-level player (or close to it) in Gay and two peripheral pieces for four role players, the Raptors set an unknowing course for the most prosperous period in franchise history. The 2014 draft class was a promising one, headlined by Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid. It was, by all common logic, a tank move. Acknowledging the fact that Gay was a poor fit alongside DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, Ujiri sent him and the $37 million remaining on his contract to the Kings. 8, 2013, the Raptors had won just six of their first 18 games.