Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, Monte Morris possible targets for the Suns?

Toronto wanted Giannis Antetokounmpo and was one of the few teams in the league with the courage to select a skinny, 6-foot-1 kid who played in the Greek second-tier basketball league. But they had no pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and couldn’t find a seller. There’s footage of Ujiri trying to recoup what the Raptors gave up before his tenure. A quick look inside the Raptors’ draft room in 2013: Ujiri, just weeks after taking office, is on the phone with Oklahoma City for the 12th pick – a pick that was once theirs. It was a protected top-3 pick traded to the Houston Rockets as part of a deal that would bring Kyle Lowry, who would one day be hailed as the greatest Raptor of all time. The pick was immediately rerouted to Oklahoma City in the infamous James Harden trade. Sam Presti calls back. The Thunder keep the pick. The light in Ujiri’s eyes dims a little. “No deal,” he tells his crew. The whole room seems to think it’s Giannis that OKC is taking. “It could be (Steven) Adams though,” Ujiri notes. He’s right, although that doesn’t mean much. Toronto’s other potential deal for Minnesota’s 14th pick falls through; they have to watch Antetokounmpo land in Milwaukee at 15th. – via The Ringer / June 30, 2024