Masai Ujiri, the general manager of the Toronto Raptors, issued an apology on Friday to former guard DeMar DeRozan for any misunderstandings that may have occurred just before DeRozan was traded to the San Antonio Spurs.DeRozan posted a message on his Instagram account after news of the trade broke, suggesting that Ujiri had not been entirely forthright during their conversation at a Vegas Summer League game.
DeRozan wrote, “Be told one thing & the outcome another. Can’t trust em. Ain’t no loyalty in this game. Sell you out quick for a little bit of nothing… Soon you’ll understand… Don’t disturb…”
Ujiri acknowledged that he had spoken with DeRozan but maintained that their discussion was conducted in good faith.
According to an ESPN report, Ujiri stated, “I had a conversation with DeMar at summer league, and I want to leave it at that.” He added, “We spoke … I think maybe my mistake was talking about what we expected going forward from him. So, not necessarily talking about a trade but what I expect from him going forward, and I think that’s where the gap was.”
Later, he apologized to DeMar, his family, and his representatives for any misunderstandings and clarified that his intentions were not accurately conveyed.
He also mentioned that the opportunity to acquire a player of Kawhi Leonard’s caliber was too good to pass up.
Ujiri said, “When you have a chance to get a top-five player, which doesn’t come very often, I think you have to jump on it.”
On Wednesday morning, reports from The Sporting News and ESPN suggested that Leonard does not wish to play for the Raptors and is seeking another trade. However, Ujiri stated that he was not aware of any such intentions and is looking forward to meeting Leonard in person.
