Title: Rigging the draft lottery, Masai Ujiri’s requests, Kyle Lowry and more: Raptors offseason mailbag Pt. 1
Date: May 21, 2021
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I opened up the mailbag to rig the lottery, discuss the futures of Masai Ujiri and Kyle Lowry, and more.
The end of the Raptors season brings with it some traditions. A lengthy and passionate Masai Ujiri press conference. Lead writer Eric Koreen calling dibs on the first vacation. And a whole lot of questions from readers.
Usually, I’d hold off on a mailbag until I’ve addressed some of the questions that are sure to be asked a lot. My annual free agency cap primer, for example, will be out on Tuesday, and that can help address some of the mechanics at play. But the Raptors missed the playoffs, opening up a longer window for us to sit with these scenarios, and it can be helpful to talk things out to recalibrate — yes, I’m using that term even without the benefit of playoff games — before we really go deep.
On Thursday, I answered as many questions as I could in a Live Q&A. The questions I couldn’t get to, the ones that came up most often and the ones that require lengthier answers have been repurposed for this mailbag, which is split into part one today and part two tomorrow.
Let’s get it.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 