Masai Ujiri & staff get contract extensions – that’s good, right?
By Brian Boake
The Raptors have signed team President Masai Ujiri to a long-term deal and kicked several of his executives upstairs. Are we happy about this?
To the surprise of no one anywhere, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) extended the contract of Masai Ujiri as Raptors President. This action, undoubtedly pushed by MLSE Board Chair Larry Tanenbaum, was a foregone conclusion by the end of last season. The Raptors’ playoff success only made the decision easier.
More from Raptors Rapture
- Scottie Barnes talks Raptors expectations after bumpy 2022-23
- Raptors’ Dennis Schroder completes Cinderella story, wins FIBA World Cup with Germany
- 3 players Raptors could replace OG Anunoby with at trade deadline
- NBA insider praises Raptors’ hiring of “star” Darko Rajakovic
- Raptors fans will love Markquis Nowell’s insane confidence on Instagram
The team also announced contract extensions and promotions for Jeff Weltman and Bobby Webster. Officially, Masai remains President while Weltman becomes General Manager and Webster the Assistant GM (and VP, Basketball Strategy, whatever that means).
MLSE may have made an obvious decision, but did they make the right one? Since getting information from MLSE is akin to getting blood from a stone (Q. “Why is Michael Friisdahl the President of MLSE?” A. …sound of crickets…), we’ll have to formulate our own conclusions.
Masai Ujiri as Raptors President – a synopsis
Masai (re)joined MLSE in the early summer of 2013, and by mid-July Webster, then Weltman, had been added to his cadre of executives. To make room, some from the ancien regime, like Ed Stefanski and Bryan Colangelo, were moved out.
We should not underestimate the importance of continuity when assessing Masai’s record. A revolving door of key employees is a huge red flag for me. Weltman and Webster, who both have the track record to work anywhere they chose in the NBA, are sticking around.
Masai was not bound and determined to perform a scorched-earth policy on the team like so many freshly-named top executives feel compelled to do. He didn’t turf out the coach; instead, he realized Dwane Casey was indeed the right man for the job, and has since resigned our bench boss to a contract extension. Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross, both Colangelo draftees, have been extended by Masai.
That moue to continuity aside, there’s little worse than an executive who refuses to attack a problem. That’s not an issue with Masai. He knew pushing Andrea Bargnani off the team was essential to the future. Bargs had made no progress in his career; he was the same constantly-injured, uncoachable, dispassionate introvert he was the day he stepped off the plane from Italy in 2006. Sadly, every other team in the NBA knew that stuff, but Masai found a trade partner anyway. Thank you, Knicks.
Masai quickly realized the situation with Rudy Gay was untenable. I was amazed when Masai moved Rudy, whom I thought we were stuck with. The Raptors were 7-12 when Rudy (and two others) went to Sacramento in exchange for four Kings. Toronto went 41-24 the rest of the season and won the 2013-14 Atlantic Division pennant, their first of three straight and counting.
The drafting record of the Raptors under Masai’s watch might best be described as Incomplete. His first pick was Bruno Caboclo, who epitomizes Incomplete. In 2015, also choosing at #20, Masai selected Delon Wright, who looks useful at a minimum. This summer, finally using the Knicks’ pick from the Bargs trade, Jakob Poeltl was chosen, then Pascal Siakam with the Raptors’ late choice. Wait and see.
Masai has never “lost” a free agent whom he truly wanted to retain. Kyle Lowry, Patrick Patterson, DeMar DeRozan – none bolted, therefore Toronto’s unwanted reputation as a franchise no NBA player chooses is eroding.
Conclusions
Masai Ujiri checks all the boxes for me. Suits want to work for him, and players want to play. He knows when to act, and (just as importantly!) when not to. He’s made the best of relatively late draft picks, as far as we can tell. The few trades he has made have all worked out well.
There have been some stumbles, which we’ll talk about another time, but they are tiny by comparison with his successes. Masai is the right man for the top job, and we’re glad he’s going to be at the helm of the Raptors for the foreseeable future.