The Toronto Raptors are out of a president with Masai Ujiri being relieved of his duties.
Notably, Ujiri only had one year remaining on his contract. With no ownership coming in with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, new owners tend to make an imprint on the team.
Unfortunately, that led to one of the NBA’s top executives being let go, but he will not be out of a job for long. With Toronto looking to win sooner rather than later, the new president needs to re-establish that winning culture.
As the dog days of the regular season approach, the Raptors have yet to agree on who will man the ship. However, Michael Grange of Sportsnet provided the latest on this president search:
“A number of league insiders I have spoken with believe that the team’s general manager, Bobby Webster, is the leading candidate for the role. “Bobby’s to lose” was a line I heard around Las Vegas.”
This potential hiring would make sense as Bobby Webster is already in-house. Frankly, there are no high-ranking executives available right now and Webster would make sense to become Toronto’s new president.
He got to co-exist with Ujiri and notably passed on his responsibilities in 2017 when Webster came on board. Grange goes on to mention that MLSE has done research on Chicago Bulls general manager Marc Eversley.
In addition to MLSE president Keith Pelley meeting with Detroit Pistons and former Raptors Coach of the Year Dwane Casey. Lastly, former Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair and Indiana Pacers president Kevin Pritchard were mentioned.
Casey, McNair and Pritchard are all intriguing names in the mix. If Toronto could lure an executive of Pritchard’s caliber, that would be a massive win. Although promoting Webster would not be a bad alternative either.
Masai Ujiri shares heartfelt message to Raptors fans in final goodbye
When MLSE took ownership of the Raptors, it felt like the writing was on the wall for Masai Ujiri’s departure. Executives and coaches do not like operating with one year remaining on their respective deals, which was Ujiri’s scenario.
Unfortunately, no extension happened and the 13-year Raptors president and general manager was let go. With that, Ujiri shared a heartfelt goodbye to Raptors fans.
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