Don't bet on Masai Ujiri bailing on Raptors despite interest from Atlanta Hawks
The Toronto Raptors aren't often big players in the NBA's rumour mill, but once in a while the spotlight shines on them.
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Right now is one of those times, with rumours once again connecting the franchise to superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and another popping up that team president Masai Ujiri is being courted by the Atlanta Hawks.
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Long-time NBA insider Marc Stein reported on his Substack 'The Stein Line' Wednesday: 'The Atlanta Hawks have interest in trying to hire Toronto's Masai Ujiri as their new president of basketball operations, league sources tell The Stein Line.
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'It was not immediately clear, league sources say, what sort of shot Atlanta has at prizing Ujiri away from the Raptors.'
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The Hawks fired ex-Raptor Landry Fields as general manager last month and hired Onsi Saleh as his replacement. Saleh, who was born in Texas but grew up in Edmonton and went to the University of Alberta, has a background in basketball strategy and the team is looking for an experienced president to run all operations.
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Ujiri certainly would fit the bill and, while his latest contract extension with the Raptors has been reported by Sportsnet to end after next season, it seems highly unlikely that he would leave for anything less than an absolutely plum job, if at all.
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That's not Atlanta, a franchise that has missed the playoffs two straight years, has two conference final appearances and has not reached the NBA Finals since 1971.
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Asked by Postmedia at his season-ending media availability in April about looming ownership changes at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (Rogers Communications is in the process of closing its buyout of Bell Canada's ownership stake and co-owner Larry Tanenbaum can be bought out in the near future, per multiple reports), Ujiri said he had no concerns.
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'I don't see anything (changing),' Ujiri said. 'It's unique that people kind of see it as new, but it's almost kind of the same being that we have had Edward Rogers and Tony (Staffieri, CEO of Rogers) and these guys for how many years I've been here, so no relationships have changed.
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'Everything has been normal. I think having a unique CEO like Keith (Pelley, the new MLSE boss), like that, really takes on the leadership and really communicates with all the team and sees the growth of all the teams.
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'It's different in some kind of way, but it's what you want in the organization. So I've had the same relationships with all these people. Keith was new, but it's honestly been great, but it's been the same relationship and being the same way and the same communication, which I am happy about.'
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Teams have sought out Ujiri in the past. The Washington Wizards made a pitch that was reported by former NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski seemingly minutes after the Ujiri-built Raptors won the 2019 NBA title.
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In 2020, just before the start of the pandemic, Wojnarowski reported again that New York Knicks owner James Dolan's 'dream' had been to land Ujiri. Howard Beck, then of Bleacher Report, said Dolan was 'enamoured' with Ujiri and SNY's Ian Begley said people within the organization were 'obsessed' with him.
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