Toronto Raptors’ Masai Ujiri addresses Jonas Valanciunas rumours

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri didn’t deny the team was shopping centre Jonas Valanciunas, but he also said the team won’t just give him away either.

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri addressed the media on Tuesday afternoon and was very candid when discussing the recent rumours surrounding centre Jonas Valanciunas.

While Ujiri did confirm JV has been involved in trade talks, he did also say it wasn’t for salary-dumping reasons, which is what some reports have suggested. Instead, Ujiri says he has been very clear with both Valanciunas and his agent, and the team is comfortable with where they’re at.

Here’s the full quote of what Ujiri said when asked about JV, courtesy of TSN’s Josh Lewenberg.

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Outside of Ujiri being brutally honest, which you always have to appreciate, there are two other takeaways I have from his comments: 1) Ujiri absolutely despises anonymous sources and GMs publicly — in this case anonymously, too — commenting on his team; and 2) the team will be monitoring JV this season.

The latter is more interesting when it comes to the Raptors, especially with the team changing their style of play this year. Based on what Ujiri said, it sounds like both Ujiri and the Raptors’ coaching staff have spoken with JV this offseason and have discussed what his future role with the team is. Ujiri mentioned JV’s ability to clean up the glass, particularly on the offensive end, so perhaps we’ll see him used more frequently in high screen-and-roll situations or as an off-ball screener to create better spacing. Although, those are both things Toronto already does with him.

Next: How to define success for the Raptors in 2018

It’s tough to say exactly how the Raptors will use Valanciunas this upcoming season, but Ujiri did make one thing clear on Tuesday — JV is in the team’s plans. With three years left on his deal, things between JV and the Raptors can certainly change, but in the meantime, Valanciunas has to be pleased with Ujiri’s public vote of confidence in him.