Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry didn't seem too pleased with the organization after they traded away his backcourt counterpart and longtime friend DeMar DeRozan over the Summer. During the Team USA mini-camp in Las Vegas, Lowry refused to answer any questions about the trade and stated that he "didn't know" if he'd spoken to his new teammate, Kawhi Leonard.
It appears he also gave Raptors execs the silent treatment following the blockbuster trade. A report from TSN's Josh Lewenberg shortly after the Raptors' Media Day suggests that Lowry "dodged" calls and texts from team President Masai Ujiri and head coach Nick Nurse.
TSN reports:
"Kyle Lowry, the team’s incumbent star, had declined to comment on the trade of his close friend and long-time teammate DeMar DeRozan at a USA Basketball minicamp in Las Vegas over the summer. That was overblown and not a direct concern to the team – as Lowry correctly pointed out on Monday, he’s never made a habit of speaking to the media during the off-season."
"Of greater concern, per league sources, Lowry had also been dodging calls and texts from team officials, including president Masai Ujiri and new head coach Nick Nurse, who Lowry said he only spoke with briefly right after Nurse was promoted in June."
During yesterday's Media Day, Lowry said all the right things, telling reporters, "my job is to be ready to go, and I'm ready to go and play." Of course, he was also asked about the trade, and whether or not he trusts Masai Ujiri.
“Our relationship is bigger than basketball,” Lowry said regarding the DeRozan/Leonard trade. “I talked to him last night, we talked about life, you know? He’s still my boy. But at the end of the day, I’m coming to work and I’ve done that every year since I’ve been here.”
When asked if he still trusts Ujiri, Lowry told reporters, “He made a decision, you know? At the end of the day he’s the president of our organization and he makes decisions to help us win a championship. It’s a decision he made. For me, my job is to be ready to go, and I’m ready to go and play.”
The Raptors will open up the 2018-19 season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 17.
