Raptors Vice Chair & President Masai Ujiri “is out,” according to sources cited by Shams Charania of ESPN.com. His departure comes a day after the conclusion of the NBA Draft and just before free agency begins on Monday. Ujiri, who was in the final year of his contract, joined the Raptors as GM in 2013, leading Toronto to the franchise’s only NBA title in 2019. The Raptors are “expected to conduct a full search for the next president of basketball operations” (ESPN.com, 6/27). YAHOO SPORTS’ Chris Cwik writes the move comes “at an unusual time.” Ujiri just took part in the 2025 NBA Draft with the Raptors and was entering the final year of his contract. Ujiri could have “hypothetically finished out his contract with the team” and “left in the offseason.” It is unclear why both sides “felt it was necessary to move on at this time” (YAHOO SPORTS, 6/27).
STUNNING MOVE: In Toronto, Doug Smith writes there is “no immediate reason for the abrupt departure,” and Ujiri was “involved as usual in the team’s off-season and pre-draft preparations.” MLSE President & CEO Keith Pelley said in a statement that a search for Ujiri’s successor “will begin immediately” and will be “led by CAA Executive Search.” MLSE also said it has “extended the contract of GM Bobby Webster” (TORONTO STAR, 6/27). In Toronto, Ryan Wolstat writes things “have not been as rosy” for the Raptors since the NBA returned from the COVID-19 shutdown, with the team sitting 23rd out of 30 teams in wins since with only one playoff appearance. It’s “unclear what’s next for Ujiri, who has many off-court passions,” but he “is close with former MLSE boss Tim Leiweke, who could be involved in NBA expansion plans moving forward” (TORONTO SUN, 6/27).
LOOKING BACK: In Toronto, Mark Colley writes the man “who defined Toronto Raptors basketball for more than a decade is gone” (TORONTO STAR, 6/27). The GLOBE & MAIL’s Cathal Kelly writes Ujiri “was the most important free agent the team had ever attracted.” His “mission was to convince the NBA -- and by extension, America -- that Toronto wasn’t a suburb of purgatory.” Kelly: “This wasn’t a basketball job. It was a civic trust. Ujiri overfulfilled it” (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/27).
