Toronto Raptors: Club Targeting Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri as GM

Bryan Colangelo, right, was relieved of his general manager duties by the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. The organization has reportedly made a lucrative offer to Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri, who was named NBA Executive of the Year this season. (Wikimedia Commons photo)

Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday, May 24, that the Toronto Raptors are in serious negotiations with Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri to take over as GM of the Raptors.

According to Wojnarowski, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment executives were in Colorado on Friday for a lengthy meeting with Ujiri—who was named NBA Executive of the Year this season—and have made a multiyear, multimillion offer.

Ujiri has been with the Nuggets since August 2010. The 42-year-old native of Nigeria became the first African-born executive to run a major sports team in North America when he was hired.

Ujiri has ties to the Toronto organization. Before taking the job in Denver, Ujiri was director of global scouting for the Raptors and later served as assistant general manager for player personnel under Toronto president, and former GM, Bryan Colangelo.

Ujiri’s first NBA job was as an international scout with the Orlando Magic and he was a scout for the Nuggets from 2003-07.

He played collegiately in the U.S., first at Bismarck (N.D.) State College, a two-year school, and later at Eastern Montana College (now known as Montana State University-Billings). He played in Europe for six years, for teams in Belgium, Germany, England, Greece and Finland.

His contract with the Nuggets is set to expire on June 30 and was largely responsible for reshaping Denver into a contender in the Western Conference after Carmelo Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks in February 2011.

But it appears that the size of Toronto’s offer is enough to scare Nuggets’ ownership off. According to Wojnarowski’s report, Denver has no plans to make an aggressive counteroffer.

Toronto’s bid for Ujiri’s services is believed to be twice, perhaps even three times, more than Denver’s best offer thus far. He is one of the lowest-paid execs in the NBA and the Kroenke family, owner of the Nuggets, doesn’t seem inclined to make a competitive bid.

Ujiri would be a big get for the Toronto organization, which stripped Colangelo of his decision-making responsibilities on the basketball side, but left him in charge of the business operation.

Colangelo took over as Toronto’s GM in February 2006 and was named Executive of the Year in 2006-07 after the Raptors won the Atlantic Division title with a 47-35 record.

Toronto made the playoffs again in 2008 after going 41-41, but has missed the postseason for the last five seasons.

Colangelo’s last big move as general manager was a three-team deal with the Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies that brought Rudy Gay to the Air Canada Centre and sent Jose Calderon to Detroit, with Ed Davis and a future second-round draft choice going to Memphis.

But one has to wonder how different Toronto’s future would be had they kept the rights to their first-round selection in 2008.

Toronto selected Georgetown center Roy Hibbert with the 17th overall pick, but packaged his rights with T.J. Ford, Maceo Baston and Rasho Nesterovic in a deal with the Indiana Pacers for Nathan Jawai and Jermaine O’Neal.

Whoops.