Patrick Patterson is the last player still on the Raptors from the, now famous, Rudy Gay trade with the Sacramento Kings during the 2013-14 season. Though originally thought of as step one in Masai Ujiri’s rebuilding plan, the trade that brought Patterson along with three other key contributing players to Toronto was the catalyst for that year’s division title and the success of the last four seasons.
Some players just fit on a team. They are by no means stars, but their presence in the lineup makes everything else fall into place. For the past three and half seasons, Dwane Casey has had the luxury of not having to worry about Patterson’s role on the team.