NBA rumors: Raptors’ Bobby Webster being targeted by rivals

The Toronto Raptors’ front office has consisted of a lethal two-headed monster over the last half-decade or so, with Masai Ujiri at the tip of the spear and Bobby Webster as the trusted Robin to his Batman. Is it time for him to go out on his own and run his team?

While Ujiri has a history in player personnel and a proven record of success in that area, Webster has a background in the financial aspect of the job, having served as a cap wizard in the NBA front office for years. This likely helped him exhibit his skills for the rest of the league.

Between Chris Finch and Nick Nurse getting head coaching jobs and executives like Jeff Weltman finding new projects to take over, the rest of the NBA has shown that pilfering the best available minds from the Raptors is still very much a winning formula. Webster might be next on the conveyer belt.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, Webster continues to draw interest from rival teams looking for a new general manager. Freed from the restrictions of having to work alongside Ujiri as the clear No. 2, Webster can finally build a team in his image if this happens.

NBA rumors: Toronto Raptors’ Bobby Webster targeted as GM

The Webster-Ujiri dynamic has been a bit odd because it remains unclear how much power Webster has. Ujiri is clearly the most prominent voice in the room with the final say, and the level of sway Webster’s potentially contradictory opinion could have is still subject to debate.

Due to the frustration many Raptors fans are feeling with their front office right now due to how they handled this offseason, Webster’s stock with the fanbase has never been lower. That doesn’t mean the same concerns Raptors fans have about him will be shared by a needy organization in the States.

If a team is hiring based on resumes alone, it’s hard to find much fault with what Webster has accomplished. Not only did he help contribute to a championship team, but his teams have always been in the playoff hunt when COVID didn’t force them to Tampa.

It’s hard to gauge how good a GM could be before he gets his own team to take control of, so the strength of one’s resume might be a good indication of how well they can hit the ground running. While not perfect, Webster’s financial background and proximity to Ujiri could make him a hit.