Well, that was a damn day.

Walked into the practice facility about 11 a.m., walked out of the practice facility about 11 p.m. and spent probably six of those hours just sitting around waiting.

The Mighty Quinn did make sure there was pizza at lunch and sandwiches at dinner and a solid supply of passable coffee and many bottles of water but, still, that was a damn day.

Did yield the Nothing But Net in the afternoon and, eventually, the trade tome late at night and Not Bea Arthur knocked this one off so there was work that got done.

I didn’t, however, see much of the game. It was on but the volume was low and the room was packed and all I could glean was that they played like zombies in the first half and giants in the second and the win was a welcome end to what had to be a difficult day for all of them.

But as for the usual Three Pointers? They ain’t gonna happen this morning. I’m sure your lives won’t be too diminished as a result.

But there are these few post-deal points to ponder.

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So, good trade?

We all know I didn’t think they needed to do anything and that I was a little surprised that they did such a bold thing, that’s a tough question.

But, overall, yeah, it’s not bad at all in the short term.

Putting aside, for a minute, the human factor (more to come on that), getting a veteran like Gasol with multitudinous skills certainly can’t hurt.

He’s a great, great passer and that’ll help.

He’s played in HUGE games for Spain and the Grizzlies and that can’t hurt when April and May roll around.

He’s a hard-ass, a very tough competitor (“He’s got the same dog in him that Kyle does,” one friend told me) and that’s never a bad thing.

But he is 34, they did basically do a five-for-one trade given the other two transactions and there’s a significant gamble to it.

All in all, though, it’s a basketball gamble they feel comfortable making and I can see the reasoning behind that.

And, you know, as hard as it is to swallow given the people involved, change can sometime be invigorating. Given that the Bucks made a big deal and the Sixers made a big deal, I think the players would be okay with the Raptors making a deal, even if it cost them some friends.

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Human cost

Yeah, basketball’s a hard business – all pro sports are – and there is a heavy human cost to be paid and that has an impact on the guys who didn’t get moved.

My bestest friend, who’s also my smartest friend, made this point electronically when the Raptors were getting drilled in the first half:

“Playing like they just lost their best friends.”

Dead on, right?

And then about an hour later, this came:

“Playing for each other.”

Dead on right, right?

You saw the Pascal Siakam post-game interview on the court when he was almost breaking up, Fred waxed on about losing buddies, too, and Nick nailed it with this post-game comment, forwarded back to me by extremely helpful friends who were in Atlanta.

“When you asked me about the atmosphere at the hotel, in my room it was a sad one. JV and I have spent a lot of time together. For five years as an assistant, I was his guy, we sat and watch film, I've been to Lithuania many times to work him out, Budapest last year watching him play. I said to him today, I said, 'No more trips to Lithuania,' he says, 'Come on man, you can still come.'

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“I think it's funny to say, as a coach-player deal, but I think we'll be friends for life man, for sure. And certainly miss him. I miss him already.”

So, yeah, there’s a sense of loss that’s palpable, it’s buddies being sent away through no doing of their own.

That’s real and it’s a crappy part of the business. These are men and friends and colleagues with families to worry about amid major upheaval in their lives and when Masai says it’s a hard and distasteful part of his job, he’s speaking the truth.

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What’s next?

As you read in my trade story – you have read it a couple of times, right? – they’ve already talked to agents about the three roster spots and have some ideas of what they want to do, it’s just a matter of who they can get and when they can get them.

I am sure they have interest in Enes Kanter in the third big role, I was told they thought Wesley Matthews was intriguing and you’re for sure going to hear about Wayne Ellington and, yeah, Nik Stauskas but that will be entire speculation and guesswork. I have not heard either of those last two names cross the lips of a Raptors official, take that for what it’s worth.

But the work has begun and there will be additions sooner rather than later. You will all have hot takes and ideas and “why didn’t they get this guy instead of that guy” but know two things:

Everyone on the market is on the market for a reason and if they were that good, they would have been playing for their teams.

And …

Others will be in the chase for the same bodies and no matter what you think should happen, a player making a choice will make it after considering many factors, some of which we have no idea about.

And I guess that gets to a third point:

They can’t “go get someone” with a buyout, the Raptors do not in any way, shape or form drive the process.

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All right, I have no idea what the day is going to be like, I could very well end up in New York at some point, although I’d rather have a couple at the local, take the train downtown to the Griff Buntoss And Chinwag and have a couple more.

But I also need to get started on the mail and since there is a less than zero chance I’m typing the usual fare here tomorrow morning, this is the last reminder to get involved.

Click on askdoug@thestar.ca, ask a question or tell me a story and we’ll back here at some point on Sunday morning.

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