Masai Ujiri Sheds Light on the Awkward Goran Dragic Saga

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri said Goran Dragic acted like a professional and the organization just wanted to go in a different direction early in the season

Aaron Rose | Feb 12, 2022

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The Toronto Raptors harbor no ill will toward Goran Dragic.

Isn't that all that matters here? Sure, the situation was awkward. Those comments he made in Slovenian about preferring not to play in Toronto didn't go over well. It was strange to see the 35-year-old point guard practicing in the Miami Heat facility and popping up at games from time to time. But the Raptors weren't frustrated by his absence. He left for personal reasons and Toronto moved on.

"Goran came in here and I think he was a great professional and did everything we asked and really exceeded every expectation that we had, first as a person," Raptors president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri said Friday.

That position has been echoed throughout the organization. Raptors coach Nick Nurse said it back in November when Dragic was dismissed to attend to a family matter. Precious Achiuwa and Toronto's other young players praised Dragic for his mentorship early in the season and for being a valuable voice in the locker room.

The Raptors gave him an opportunity early in the season, starting him for the season opener and then letting him come off the bench in the next three before opting to see what the younger guards could do. Considering their 1-3 start to the season, it made sense at the time.

"We wanted to develop our young players and Goran also respected that," Ujiri said. "I know he acted in the best professional way and hopefully we tried to give him the best support that we could."

Could it have been handled better? Sure. Better communication from everyone would have made the situation a little less uncomfortable. But nobody was hurt by this. The Raptors have moved on.

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