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Toronto Raptors: Where does Masai Ujiri rank among league executives?

By Nikola Cuvalo

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Masai Ujiri of the Toronto Raptors sits in his seat during the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery at the New York Hilton in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Masai Ujiri of the Toronto Raptors sits in his seat during the 2016 NBA Draft Lottery at the New York Hilton in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford (Photos by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images). /

4. R.C. Buford (CEO, San Antonio Spurs)

  • Organizational record: 1,248-590 (67.9%) (1997-2019)
  • Best Move: Traded George Hill to the Indiana Pacers for Davis Bertans, Kawhi Leonard, and Erazem Lorbek. (2011)
  • Worst Move: Signed 37-year-old Pau Gasol to a 3-year/$48 million deal. (2017)

Buford could probably rank higher on this list, as he has played a significant role in maintaining one of the most impressive and longest-running streaks in professional sports. However, his recent dip in performance has coincided with rough(er) times in San Antonio.

On the other end of the DeRozan trade, Buford made one of the few calls available to him when he shipped out Kawhi Leonard for the Compton, California native.

Prior to Leonard’s discontent, Buford helped convince LaMarcus Aldridge to leave a great situation in Portland to move to San Antonio. For that trick, he won an Executive of the Year Award in 2015-2016 (after winning the very same award in 2013-2014, following a Spurs championships title).

While the Spurs haven’t been true title contenders for all of their incredible run, they have leveraged many a legendary player (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, etc.) into five NBA titles and 22(!) consecutive playoff appearances.

Negotiating the contract extensions of each of the Spurs’ Big 3 (Duncan, Manu, and Tony) was done with the support of Buford, and without his efforts, it’s possible that those three would have left San Antonio much earlier than they did (with Parker being the only one to ever play for another franchise).

Buford’s decision to trade for the lowly rated Kawhi Leonard midway through the first round of the 2011 NBA draft was another stroke of genius. Rarely does a franchise acquire a player the caliber of Leonard; the Spurs did it the season after finishing first in the Western Conference.

Leonard was a key member of the Spurs most recent championship run, winning Finals MVP in the process. Despite his messy exit from San Antonio, Buford deserves recognition for bringing in and utilizing Leonard’s talents while he was available.

This all goes without even mentioning the salary cap gymnastics that Buford has undoubtedly mastered at this point; his knowledge of the CBA is unparalleled. He’s leveraged his understanding into numerous below-market extensions (i.e. for Danny Green) and smart salary dumps to clear cap space (such as moving Tiago Splitter to accommodate the signing of Aldridge).

The Spurs have very rarely wanted for more bench depth, and that’s largely due to Buford’s ability to provide quality players at great prices.

Any ranking of elite NBA executives would be incomplete without Buford’s inclusion.

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