Toronto Raptors team president Masai Ujiri has had his fair share of blockbuster deals throughout his tenure with the organization. After all, Ujiri was the architect behind Toronto's Kawhi Leonard-led fairy tale title run in 2019. As such, most folks were under the expectation that Masai would work his magic again before the recently concluded NBA trade deadline, especially given all the rumors surrounding the Raptors.

In the end, Toronto stood pat. For better or worse, this team will enter the second half of the season with the same group. Simply put, the Raptors refused to rush into a deal that they did not like. Masai Ujiri didn't fall into the trap of pulling the trigger on a trade deal just for the sake of getting one done. After all, he knows that he will get another shot at it once the offseason arrives:

“Because I think at the end of the day, in the summer, there are 29 losers and one winner. There are 29 teams looking to do more,” Ujiri responded when asked why he believes the Raptors will have more opportunities to make big moves in the offseason.

While Ujiri does have a point, it is also worth noting that the Raptors are likely to have less bargaining power in the summer, at least when it comes to the players that were expected to feature in blockbuster trades prior to Thursday's deadline. Both Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby will have one year left on their current deals come the offseason (Anunoby has a player option for the 2024-25 season).  Even more concerning is the Fred VanVleet situation as he will have the option to enter free agency this summer.

It was a risky move by the Raptors, no doubt, and we will all see if these decisions pay dividends for them soon enough.