The Toronto Raptors have fallen on some hard times but there is reason for optimism in Canada as the NBA heads into the finals and the offseason, as the team has a new general manager in Masai Ujiri as well as new CEO in Tim Leiweke and perhaps in the future they will have a new name.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Leiweke, who took over for the Raptors after leaving AEG, said to the National Post that the team may consider a name change in the future. While nothing is guaranteed, the new CEO said the franchise would have a good conversation about it and said that the generic uniforms would change at least. He said that the team needs the conversation and it could be a good way to move on from some tough years after losing Chris Bosh.
The team is trying to deal the former number one pick in Bargnani and Ujiri comes into the situation with a ton of hype after putting together the best season in Denver Nuggets history and making the Carmelo Anthony deal work and he could pull off some magic again. The team has had the same name since being established in 1995 in Canada and while the name is considered "cool" by some who like dinosaurs, the name really has no connection to Toronto and that could be part of the idea of re-branding the franchise.
The move would not be unprecedented and it would follow a trend with a few teams in the NBA recently, including the New Orleans Hornets changing to the Pelicans since that has a connection to the city, as well as the Charlotte Bobcats, who said they would possibly change back to the Hornets in 2014.
