also defeated the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz and Miami Heat, all of which were eventual Conference finalists. However, the Raptors struggled against teams who were not of championship calibre, including three losses to the 15–67 Boston Celtics. In the 1997–98 season, the team suffered numerous injuries and slid into a 17-game losing streak. After Thomas' attempts to execute a letter of intent with Slaight to purchase the team failed, he resigned his position with the team in November and sold his 9 per cent stake in the team to Slaight. This left Slaight with 90 per cent and the Bank of Nova Scotia with 10 per cent. Thomas was replaced by Glen Grunwald as general manager. With Thomas gone, Stoudamire immediately sought a trade. On February 13, 1998, he was shipped to the Portland Trail Blazers along with Walt Williams and Carlos Rogers for Kenny Anderson, Alvin Williams, Gary Trent, two first-round draft choices, a second-round draft choice and cash. Anderson refused to report to Toronto and was traded to the Celtics with Žan Tabak and Popeye Jones for Chauncey Billups, Dee Brown, Roy Rogers and John Thomas. When the trading deadline was over, the Raptors became the youngest team in the league with an average age of 24.6 years. They had five rookies on their roster, including the 18-year-old Tracy McGrady, who at the time was the youngest player in the NBA. The inexperienced Raptors struggled throughout the season and their regular season record regressed to 16–66. On February 12, 1998, Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd., the owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs, purchased 100 per cent of the Raptors and the arena the team was building, Air Canada Centre, from Slaight and the Bank of Nova Scotia; Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. later renamed itself Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). MLSE paid a reported $467 million, made up of $179 million for the team and $288 million for the arena. During the 1998 NBA draft, in what became a defining move for the franchise, Grunwald traded the team's 4th overall pick Antawn Jamison to the Golden State Warriors for Vince Carter, who was selected 5th overall. To bring further credibility to the Raptors, Grunwald traded Marcus Camby to the New York Knicks for Charles Oakley, a veteran with playoff experience. Kevin Willis, another veteran acquired from the trade, solidified the centre position, while the coaching staff temporarily rotated Brown,