The Toronto Raptors not only have to figure out which players from the comically unlucky 2020-21 team they will retain heading into next season, but they also need to closely examine the front office, as Masai Ujiri potentially leaving Toronto after building them into a champion due to his lack of a new contract.
With some rumors flying about how he could take the Washington Wizards job this offseason, Ujiri might leave Bobby Webster to finally get his unimpeded turn at the switches. However, Toronto knows what a tremendous team-builder he is, and they won’t let him leave without making a huge effort to keep him.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment chairman Larry Tanenbaum has been hammering home the idea that Ujiri isn’t going to go anywhere, making him arguably the most important part of Toronto’s plan to build back to full strength and make it to the postseason.
Tanenbaum, per Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, is hopeful that after the season ends, the Raptors and the man who built the franchise into a consistent winner for the first time in team history will agree on a contract that keeps Ujiri in Canada for the foreseeable future.
Masai Ujiri -- stop if you've heard this before -- says he'll visit contract status at the end of the year. "The Raptors will be fine"
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) March 25, 2021
"“We are both confident in that approach and Masai has shared that publicly in the past when asked,” Tannenbaum said."
Masai Ujiri has work to do with the Toronto Raptors.
This is the first season in which Toronto has missed the postseason since Ujiri came over from the Denver Nuggets. In that span, Toronto recorded the highest winning percentage in the Eastern Conference and was third in the NBA during that timeframe, trailing only Golden State and San Antonio.
The Raptors struggled to really get rolling this season, as playing the whole year in Tampa in addition to losing several stars and key contributors to COVID-19 helped ruin their chances of making a dent in the standings.
Ujiri might not be in the mood for just another run-of-the-mill GM or president job. In fact, he may be looking beyond the NBA for his next gig, a goal that has a legit chance of being realized due to the fact that he has made such an impact on the game globally, especially in Africa thanks to his “Giants of Africa” foundation.
If Ujiri was to leave the Toronto Raptors, it would be hard to imagine him making a lateral move to a team like Washington. While he isn’t definitively coming back next season for Toronto, it does sound like there is a mutual interest in getting a contract done, which certainly bodes well for Ujiri coming back in 2021.