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TSN Raptors Reporter

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TORONTO - In the weeks following his team's late-season collapse and embarrassing exit from the playoffs, Masai Ujiri was left to ponder what went wrong with an emphasis on plugging the holes that became glaringly apparent through their demise.

When that evaluation process concluded, the coach was kept on and Ujiri - the architect of this Raptors team - pointed the finger at himself, citing roster composition issues.

What he saw was a group that lost its way defensively, a team that struggled to stop anyone at the point of attack, one that desperately tried to mask its shortcomings with a reluctant shift in philosophy and failed.

Thursday's NBA draft presented the Raptors' GM with his first opportunity to address the team's most pressing need: defence.

Moments after sending slow-footed back-up point guard Greivis Vasquez to Milwaukee in what amounted to a salary dump - with the added benefit of acquiring a couple draft picks - the Raptors used their 20th overall pick to select Utah guard Delon Wright, one of the oldest players in this year's class and a heralded defender at the position.

"We're really excited about Delon," Ujiri said of the 23-year-old. "We saw him as a big point guard that can guard and takes great pride in it. [He] still needs to develop even if he's a four-year [college] player. I think we also see him as a late bloomer a little bit, so we're hoping there's a little bit more development there. But he knows how to play. We watched him a lot and we like what he does."

"He's one of the top defensive point guards in the draft," Dwane Casey echoed. 

"He's one of the guys that has tremendous upside as a point guard in the NBA. Reminds me a lot of a Nate McMillan as far as a big, long point guard like we had in Seattle, can defend multiple positions. So he really fits into what we're trying to do and goes right into the plan with our young group to grow."

Wright seems like an ideal fit with Vasquez on his way out, but he's a player the Raptors had been targeting all along. He was unable to finish his pre-draft workout in Toronto earlier this month but Ujiri, Casey and company had seen enough. 

"All week it's been Delon," said Casey, who quickly became enamoured with Wright's maturity and ability to defend both guard positions. "There [were] a couple other guys in the conversation also but as the week went on and we studied more film, more film, more film, it became clear to us as far as what we needed defensively. Your defence starts on the ball coming up the court in the pick and roll. You've got to have guys that can defend the pick and roll and he's a good start for us."

It should be noted that Vasquez was not the sole cause of Toronto's regression on the defensive end last season. Similarly, Wright isn't the lone solution - far from it.

The 28-year-old Vasquez arrived as part of the seven-player trade that sent Rudy Gay to Sacramento midway through the 2013-14 campaign and helped fuel Toronto's late-season turnaround and playoff run. Averaging 9.5 points and 3.7 assists as Kyle Lowry's understudy last season, after signing a two-year extension with the Raptors during the previous summer, Vasquez struggled to fit in playing alongside Sixth Man winner Lou Williams. 

Like Williams, Vasquez is a talented scorer but the two guards lacked the size, speed and defensive acumen to keep opposing guards out of the lane, putting added pressure on Toronto's front court to cover for their mistakes.

In exchange for Vasquez the Raptors received a pair of draft picks. The lottery-protected first-rounder that is owed to them as early as 2017 comes via the Los Angeles Clippers. They also got the 46th overall pick which they used to select UCLA's Norman Powell, another senior and defensive-minded guard. Most importantly, they unload the $6.6 million that is owed to Vasquez next season, the final year of his deal, and could have roughly $23 million in cap space this summer if they renounce the rights to Williams, Amir Johnson and their other four free agents.

"We wanted to kind of have some flexibility a little bit, open up a little bit of space just to keep our options open as we go into free agency," Ujiri said. "I think keep an open mind where we go with the team."

"I actually want to thank Greivis," the Raptors GM continued. "What a great kid that I've known for many years. That's one of the toughest things I've ever done, is speak to Greivis after [we] made the trade. I'll tell you what, it's not easy. I say it with all honesty. He did a great job for us but it's time to part ways."

Unlike last year's 20th pick, long-term Brazilian project Bruno Caboclo, Wright comes in ready to contribute as a rookie, at least to some degree. His experience and poise playing the NBA's most crucial position stood out to the Raptors throughout this process leading up to the draft. The younger brother of 11-year NBA veteran Dorell Wright, Delon has been around the league and knows what's ahead of him.

"He had a real big influence on me," Wright said, speaking of his older brother over the phone from a draft party in his Los Angeles, his hometown. "Obviously being his little brother and seeing him play in the NBA for 11 years really motivated me and I see how hard work pays off."

"The funny thing about it is, everyone talks about, he's 23, like [he's] old," Casey said. "He's a little older than your normal 19 or 20-year-old coming in today, but that's good. He's a kid that's been around the NBA, he knows the NBA, he's talked about the NBA with his brother. So even if he was younger, it wouldn't be an issue. But he's still a young player in the NBA standards as far as playing for a playoff team." 

"It was unanimous in the room as far as guys that had seen him play. We felt like he was the guy we needed."

Wright is not a finished product. Like most rookies he needs to get stronger and perfect his jump shot at the NBA level. But adding Wright is just the first step in rediscovering a defensive identity that was lost last year. Ujiri and Casey will continue to emphasize this in the players they recruit in free agency next month. It's unlikely that Wright would be expected to replace Vasquez outright in his first NBA season, especially when you factor in Lowry's injury history. Toronto should be in the market for a veteran point guard and it's possible - perhaps even more likely - that they bring Williams back to reprise his role off the bench now that Vasquez has been traded.