"In Ujiri we trust": Drake puts his faith in Toronto Raptors GM ahead of pivotal NBA trade deadline

Rapper Drake trusts Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri. The 'God's Plan' singer who has been the team's ambassador since 2013 is confident that the Raptors manager will pull off some solid moves to help them become bonafide playoff contenders.

Ujiri has received high praise after landing RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in a trade with the New York Knicks. However, the results haven't entirely gone their way. Now without Pascal Siakam, the Raptors' offense will need some firepower. Toronto is 12th in the East with a 16-26 record.

Taking to Instagram, Drake shared an image of Ujiri as he reposed his faith in the Toronto GM.

"In Ujiri we trust"

Rapper Drake took to Instagram to show his faith in Raptors GM

By his admission, the Raptors are far from done with their trades, making them one of the more active players ahead of the deadline.

The Raptors are eyeing somewhat of a rebuild — especially after their roster construction ahead of the start of the season not deemed likely to land the title. The focus seems to be on reinventing the roster and acquiring future assets.

"I am patient": Raptors FM Masai Ujiri ready for rebuild as Toronto hits reset button

In a press conference where he addressed the Siakam trade, Masai Ujiri said thta he's ready for a rebuild and the growing pains that come with it. According to Toronto Star's Dave Feschuk, Ujiri said:

“A normal rebuild with other teams takes five, six years. Do we have the patience for that? Do we have the patience for three to five years to build our team?

"Some way, somehow we are going to have to have patience. And one of the things that I’m telling you, 100 percent — I’m not going to BS anybody on — is I am patient.”

Over the last few seasons, the GM has garnered immense flak for being too slow in his decision-making, even when Fred VanVleet inked a deal with the Houston Rockets in free agency last summer. His approach was labeled "too patient", but the GM has stuck to his words.

The Raptors are far from title contention this season, and the pieces they have at best can contend for a spot in the play-in tournament. Barring the top eight spots, the rest of the performers are all below .500.

Hence, a good stretch of games for Toronto could see them compete for a play-in slot — the same place they were in last season. By the looks of how things are shaping up, Ujiri is fine with the wait and has Drake's vote of confidence.