The New York Knicks want to steal Masai Ujiri away from the Raptors

Following six seasons of missing the playoffs, with a seventh on the way, the New York Knicks fired president Steve Mills on Tuesday.

Their top choice to replace him? None other than current Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Knicks owner Jim Dolan is targeting Toronto president Masai Ujiri to ultimately oversee New York’s operations, league sources tell ESPN. He is under contract through 2020-2021 in Toronto.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2020

Masai Ujiri has long been Jim Dolan’s dream candidate to run Knicks, but here’s what’s already complicating that pursuit: Ujiri’s contract, and Knicks reluctance to give up draft compensation to Toronto, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2020

This isn’t the first time other teams have had rumoured interest in Ujiri, and you can see why. Fresh off an NBA championship, the Washington Wizards were reportedly willing to offer Ujiri $10 million per season and ownership equity in the team to run their basketball operations.

Ujiri is under contract for one more year beyond this season and the Raptors will likely do whatever they can to keep him. Despite losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green in free agency, the Raptors are still a powerhouse team in the NBA with the third-best record (36-14) in the overall standings.

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