Toronto Raptors not in a rush to hire Masai Ujiri successor
The Toronto Raptors are, in a sense, a team without a leader right now.
After 12 years in his second stint with the franchise, the Raptors parted ways with president Masai Ujiri on Friday, ending the most successful run of an executive in franchise history.
The architect behind the 2019 NBA Finals team, everyone had their reasons why Ujiri was given the boot. Whether you think it had to do with money, power struggles, team performance, or some external factor, whatever the case, the Raptors are now looking for his replacement.
“We’re hiring a president,” said MLSE CEO Pelley in a press conference on Friday. “The president… we’re looking for an experienced, prominent, strong, successful personality.”
Last month, the Toronto Maple Leafs, owned by the same parent company as the Raptors, parted ways with president Brendan Shanahan after 11 seasons of his own. Unlike the Raptors, Pelley didn’t want the Maple Leafs to operate with a president, but chose a different approach for the NBA team.
The Raptors aren’t looking to make a quick hire just for the sake of hiring someone. Yes, free agency officially opens on Monday evening, and NBA Summer League tips off next week, but the NBA calendar slows down to a crawl until training camps open in either late September or early October.
“I think the urgency is to find the right person,” Pelley added. “If we are able to find the right person next week, fantastic. If that is next month, that’s okay, too, and if it’s in two months, that’s okay. That’s our No. 1 priority, finding the right person that can get us back to contending and winning championships.”
CAA, an external agency that represents many coaches and players around the league, will be involved in leading the search.
Pelley also mentioned current Raptors GM Bobby Webster as a possible candidate for the role, but plans to keep him around the organization either way if not.
“Bobby Webster is really respected around the league,” Pelley said. “When you look at not only this year, but previous years, he’s often been the spokesperson for key trades, key moves, free agency deals. So you have a prominent person there right now.
“I think the team president will be very involved in the basketball operations and will need to work very closely with Bobby [if he doesn’t get the job],” Pelley said. “So the answer is his or her focus will be 100 per cent on basketball operations… him worrying about commercials or tickets is not going to be a priority.”
In any case, don’t expect any hires to hold an intro press conference in the next few days.