Raptors part ways with president Masai Ujiri a day after NBA draft
The Toronto Raptors and Vice Chairman and President Masai Ujiri have parted ways, just a day after the NBA draft.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League, let Ujiri leave with a year remaining on his contract.
Ujiri, a former NBA Executive of the Year when he was with the Denver Nuggets in 2013, left that franchise to become the executive vice president and general manager of the Raptors.
The 54-year-old Ujiri made the Raptors a contender with seven straight playoff appearances, including in 2018, when he fired Dwane Casey, who had just won the NBA Coach of the Year award, and replaced him with Nick Nurse. He then traded fan favorite DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
Leonard helped lead the Raptors to their first NBA championship the following season with a six-game series victory over the Golden State Warriors. Since winning that championship, the Raptors have made the postseason only twice and have missed the playoffs each of the past three years.
The team finished 30-52 this season under second-year head coach Darko Rajaković, and is left without a main executive, although Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment said that "Raptors front office leadership remains in place with extensions for key personnel, including general manager Bobby Webster," before free agency starts on June 30.
In the 2025 draft, Toronto selected forward Collin Murray-Boyles with the ninth pick and guard Alijah Martin with the 39th pick in the second round.
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