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According to multiple sources, Ujiri was the “driving force” behind the Brandon Ingram deal at last February’s trade deadline, while others in the room were less convinced about the fit and the timing. To just assume that Webster would pick up where Ujiri left off might be misguided. They could use a fresh perspective after missing the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, but they don’t necessarily need to look outside of the organization for that. The grass isn’t always greener.
The elephant in the room is the one person who’s no longer in the room: the recently dismissed team president, Masai Ujiri. Nobody is talking about their former boss or even speaking his name aloud. Ask somebody about him, on or off the record, and you’ll get a scripted response, something along the lines of: "He did great things and will be missed, but life goes on." Requests to make general manager Bobby Webster or other members of the front office available to the media have been declined, even for stories unrelated to Ujiri, and the sense is that the code of silence is a directive coming from the very top. The nervous energy is palpable.
Vivek Jacob: Kawhi Leonard will make an appearance at Masai Ujiri's Giants of Africa Festival. Leonard will mentor campers, open a new 🏀 court in partnership with Giants of Africa at St. Ignatius School, and host a clinic for 50 local youth in one of Kigali’s most underserved districts.
Obviously, the departure of Masai (Ujiri) was a big development for the franchise. What was your reaction?" Darko Rajakovic: "It's obviously a big change. He was with the team for 12 years and brought a lot of success to the organization. But like anything in life, those situations happen. We’re going to miss him, but we’re also very well-equipped to continue moving forward with the leadership we have in the front office. I'm excited about what’s next for us — and for him."
Josh Lewenberg: Jakob Poeltl on Masai Ujiri: "He’s the guy that in the NBA first believed in me. He’s the one that drafted me, so from that standpoint alone I owe him a lot... Obviously, it won’t be easy but we have other talented guys in those positions that can hopefully fill those footsteps.”
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Josh Lewenberg: Darko Rajakovic on the Masai Ujiri firing: "Obviously, it's a big change... He brought a lot of success to the organization, but like a lot of things in life, those kinds of situations happen. We're going to miss him but we're very well equipped to continue moving forward."
Josh Lewenberg: Masai Ujiri's goodbye: "Toronto, Canada, I love you. The country that welcomed me. The city that became home. This bond we share will last forever... Now a new chapter begins but your love will always be with me... You will win again in Toronto."
Masai Ujiri says goodbye to Raptors: I love you, Toronto
During an appearance on Good Morning America on Thursday, the former Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri spoke publicly for the first time since parting ways with the organization. He didn't discuss his departure, but Ujiri made sure to thank the city and organization that he called home for over a decade. "I love you, Toronto. I love you, Toronto," Ujiri said to GMA host Robin Roberts before discussing the Giants of Africa organization. "It's been 12 incredible years with the Toronto Raptors, and I am so grateful and thankful for the opportunity. Fans, my family, colleagues, coaches, players, the owners, everybody has been incredible to me."
The former NBA executive's focus now shifts to his Giants of Africa organization, which instills and develops leadership among Africa's youth through the game of basketball. But as for what comes next in the NBA, Ujiri is uncertain. "Now, it's day to day with the family," Ujiri said. "It's a time to really look at it from the top, and I know there are great things coming."
"Yeah, and look—people talk about egos in locker rooms among players, but executives and coaches have egos too. Masai Ujiri, while respected around the league, is known for having a very high opinion of himself." "That’s not a knock, necessarily, but it is his reputation. Some guys just don’t like him because of that big ego. I can definitely see him saying, ‘Look at what I’ve done. I want the 10-year, lifetime deal.’ And just to be clear—I’m not reporting that was the actual ask. But knowing his track record, he’s going to want full control, power in the organization, and the ability to call all the shots. And honestly, someone is going to give that to him."
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An example of how Ujiri and Webster differed: it was Ujiri who was resistant to signing Pascal Siakam to an extension in the season prior to him being traded to the Indiana Pacers in January of 2024. Ujiri didn’t want the risk of a long-term deal on his books for a player who he was no longer sure was a fit with Scottie Barnes’ timeline. An injury to Siakam after he signed, or even just a downturn in performance, would have left the Raptors in a difficult situation. But not signing him also meant that they had less control over where Siakam could be traded as he headed into the final year of his contract, likely less leverage for extracting a top price. Webster was in favour of extending Siakam, which would have given the Raptors more control in the trade market if they wanted to go that route, as they would be trading a player under team control for multiple years.
According to Kevin O’Connor, the Raptors’ parent company felt Ujiri was overloaded and spread too thin. “They felt like Masai was stretched too thin with Basketball Without Borders, his non-profit Giants of Africa,” O’Connor said.
Pelley said he and Ujiri had been talking about the executive’s future for the last few months. According to Pelley, Ujiri requested he be able to run the draft if a change was going to ultimately be made, even though the franchise extended the contracts of general manager Bobby Webster, assistant general manager Dan Tolzman and would be looking to hire a new president, a role for which Webster will be interviewed. Pelley said the new president will focus solely on basketball, not business.
Raptors general manager Bobby Webster and assistant GM Dan Tolzman recently received contract extensions that were not announce until Friday and now assume day-to-day control of basketball operations while MLSE conducts a search for Ujiri's replacement. We'll have to see to what lengths MLSE is prepared to go in terms of hiring a successor when the significant annual salaries held by Ujiri and former Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan are believed to have factored in strongly to the dismissals of both lead executives in the space of the past five weeks.
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