Stop Saying Masai Ujiri 'Gambled' in Trading for Kawhi Leonard

Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri came under intense scrutiny when he traded away the franchise's cornerstone player in DeMar DeRozan for a disgruntled Kawhi Leonard. Many questioned whether the move should have been made considering that Kawhi would become a free agent at the season's end. Then again, he was praised for the move because it instantly made the Raptors a top NBA contender.

Let's just say Thursday night's victory validated his decision once and for all.

But please, let's not call this a "gamble." Ujiri went out and acquired a disgruntled superstar on a team that had absolutely no leverage to trade him because he made it clear he wasn't going to re-sign with the San Antonio Spurs.

Any executive would have made this deal if they had a player like DeMar DeRozan at their disposal to trade in addition to a few other meaningless assets.

The Spurs also were willing to ditch Danny Green due to his salary affecting their cap situation.

Not only did this decision deliver Toronto its first ever NBA Championship, but it now puts the Raptors in the conversation to sign Kawhi in free agency.

So while Ujiri's decision to trade for Kawhi was beyond shrewd, we can't really call it a gamble anymore considering this was the only realistic move the Raptors could've made to get themselves in the situation they're currently in.