Is Masai Ujiri really with Toronto Raptors for the long haul?

Masai Ujiri is oft-rumored to be a candidate to join the New York Knicks front office. Should the Toronto Raptors be concerned?

The Toronto Raptors and Masai Ujiri just fit. They’re like peanut butter and jelly. Soft serve and rainbow sprinkles. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan — OK, maybe that last one is not a great example.

It has always felt like the Raptors and Ujiri have had a symbiotic connection. The Denver Nuggets never truly appreciated what they had in the front office guru, who has earned the admiration of Raptors fans across the globe for delivering the franchise their first championship.

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If Ujiri wanted a lifetime contract, he would get it.

And yet, the rumors linking him to the New York Knicks never seem to end. Essentially any time the Knicks front office has done something questionable (read: the past two decades), names are quickly floated as to who should REALLY be making those personnel decisions. Ujiri’s name often rises to the top, with Knicks owner James Dolan believed to have an infatuation.

Now Ujiri has never publicly expressed any genuine dissatisfaction with the Raptors or any real desire to leave for another opportunity. But the Raptors are fearful of him leaving anyway, according to a Newsday report. Despite the struggles of the Knicks, there still is plenty of appeal in turning around the franchise and being the person to lead them back to glory.

Because Ujiri is under contract in Toronto through the 2020-21 season, the Knicks would have to offer compensation to pry him to the Big Apple.

Acquiring a non-player from another team is a leap most teams won’t make, but it wouldn’t be a first for the New York Knicks; they gave the Sacramento Kings a second-round draft pick and cash considerations to pry away Scott Perry to become the general manager.

There is evidence that Ujiri wouldn’t want to join the Knicks. One need look no further than the time he said he hated the Knicks:

Beyond that, the Raptors’ top brass has a clear mindset not to let Ujiri go anywhere. Chairman Larry Tanenbaum recently told the Toronto Sun:

"“Masai is here to stay.”"

Tanenbaum’s comment speaks to the biggest reason Ujiri would be likely to stay in Toronto: value.

The New York Knicks can throw exorbitant money at Ujiri before or after his contract expires (if they want to engage in trade talks that would almost certainly include first-round picks), but they’ll never understand what Ujiri brings to an organization in the way Tanenbaum and Raptors ownership already does.

When Ujiri’s contract comes to an end, the Raptors will elevate Ujiri into a role beyond that of a traditional basketball executive. They will make sure Ujiri understands his value to an NBA franchise. They’ll also do everything they can to support Ujiri’s interests beyond the franchise, including Giants of Africa and Basketball Without Borders.

Until the New York Knicks land on even an iota of success, the best basketball executives will be linked with taking over and bringing that once proud franchise into the 21st century.

But Masai Ujiri has carte blanche to do as he pleases in Toronto. Unless he covets a change of scenery — which doesn’t seem likely at the moment — he’s sticking with the Raptors for the long haul.