The birds of prey separate the streets with the president of Team Masai Ujiri the day after 2025 NBA Draft
The man who brought a Toronto Raptors championship is leaving the franchise. The Raptors and the president of Team Masai Ujiri are separating, the team confirmed on Friday.
The move arrives in an unusual moment. Ujiri has just taken part in the 2025 NBA draft with the Raptors and was entering the last year of his contract. Ujiri could have hypothetically finished his contract with the team and would go to the low season. It is not clear why both sides believe that it was necessary to go on right now.
Announcement
In their statement that announces the move, the Raptors said they would search for a new team president. The team added that the members of the current front-office staff will remain in place, including the general manager Bobby Webster, who received an extension.
Ujiri’s departure comes one day after the second night of the NBA draft of 2025. The Raptors received excellent votes from Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports for their choices of the first than the second round. Collin Murray-Boyles, which the team took with the overall choice n. 9, he received an A- from O’Conner. The choice of the second round of the team, Alijah Martin, did even better, with an A+ by O’Connor.
Ujiri initially joined the Raptors in 2013 as an executive vice -president of the team and general manager. The franchise was successful at the beginning of his mandate, ending first or second in the consecutive seasons of the Sette Division. In 2016, Ujiri was promoted president of the team. He served as the general manager of the team in that season before transforming that role into Webster in 2017.
Announcement
The largest swing of Ujiri’s mandate with the team arrived before the 2018-19 season, when he exchanged with Kawhi Leonard. It was a risky move, given the story of Leonard’s injuries, the fact that he had remained only one year on his contract and that he cost them DeMar Derozan – for nine years the heart and soul of the team. But Ujiri pressed the trigger for a manufacturer of differences that could bring a title to Toronto. And he worked, with the birds of prey defeating the Golden State Warriors in the final. It was the first NBA title of Raptors since the team was established before the 1995-96 season.
In the end Leonard would have left after a season and since then the Raptors have been in decline. After another first place in the division during the 2019-202 NBA season, the Raptors have not finished not exceeding the third in the division in the last five seasons. After finishing .500 during the 2022-23 season, the Raptors joined to go 55-109 in the last two seasons.