Masai Ujiri Thanking DeMar DeRozan and Dwane Casey Unfortunately Comes Off as a Slap in the Face

The success of the Toronto Raptors is largely due to the play of recently-acquired superstar Kawhi Leonard, but many NBA fans have been calling out the organization for not recognizing the people that had built the team in the years before, namely DeMar DeRozan and former head coach Dwane Casey.

Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri tried to pay the two their dues, but what was supposed to be a sort of thank you seemed to be more like a slap in the face.

Calling them part of the team's journey just proves that the organization felt the duo were excess to requirements. While they devoted many years of their careers towards helping the Raptors reach the playoffs, they weren't able to give the team the final push necessary for an NBA Finals berth, and eventually were shown the exit door.

DeMar DeRozan was a four time All-Star while in Toronto and was a key piece in keeping them in the playoffs year after year. Dwane Casey coached the Raptors for seven seasons and led them to the Eastern Conference Finals twice.

Casey and DeRozan helped build Toronto, but since Kawhi Leonard's arrival and immediate success, the front office has seemed to forget all that DeRozan and Casey sacrificed. Let's not forget that DeRozan was a highly coveted free agent, being linked to teams like the Lakers ahead of the 2016 season. Instead of returning to his home city of LA, DeRozan re-upped with Toronto, only to be traded to the Spurs just two seasons later.

While Ujiri acknowledged their contributions, his comments still come off as a slap in the face. The team is clearly improved from last season, but Ujiri's comments won't calm down the fans who feel the team should have done better by DeRozan.