Masai Ujiri and the Raptors have split, but their success will impact Toronto forever

New York Times

8 hours ago

By parting ways with longtime executive Masai Ujiri, the Toronto Raptors have officially moved on from every major element of the most successful stretch in the franchise's 30-year history.
No matter your thoughts on whether or not it was time for Ujiri to leave, it's hard to overstate his impact after turning the Raptors into an NBA champion with bold trades and sustained efforts to bring new talent to Toronto. But even the most successful teams must find a new path forward. In the Raptors' case, Ujiri's dismissal may not have been a shocker to many because the franchise has been facing a new direction for a while.
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Since Toronto won the 2019 NBA Finals, the Raptors have sported the NBA's 20th-best win percentage (.475), missed the playoffs four times and parted ways with franchise stars Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam, along with key supporting players such as Serge Ibaka and O.G. Anunoby. They haven't finished with more than 41 wins in three seasons and have since replaced those aforementioned pillars with a core led by a 23-year-old Scottie Barnes, 25-year-old RJ Barrett, 26-year-old Immanuel Quickley and 27-year-old Brandon Ingram, the trade-deadline acqusition who has yet to suit up for the Raptors but signed a three-year extension with the team.
Under Ujiri, the Raptors were led by head coaches Dwane Casey, Nick Nurse and Darko Rajaković. The Raptors missed the playoffs in each of their first two seasons under Rajaković but went 13-14 after last season's All-Star break, despite several injuries, including Ingram's. By moving on from Ujiri, who, as our own Eric Koreen explains, faced an uncertain future with the Raptors at various points during his 12-year tenure, Toronto will seek to add new successful chapters in its basketball history.
Before the Raptors move on, let's examine a timeline of Ujiri's path to running Toronto's show and molding a champion. If you feel there are any glaring omissions, feel free to add and discuss in the comments.
2003 — Ujiri became an international scout for the Denver Nuggets after working in a similar role with the Orlando Magic.
2007 — The Raptors, led by Bryan Colangelo, hired Ujiri into their front office as director of international scouting. He became Toronto's assistant general manager by 2008.
2010 — On Aug. 27, Ujiri returned to the Nuggets as general manager and executive vice president for basketball operations, becoming the first African general manager in major American sports. The Nuggets went 50-32 during his first full season overseeing the franchise.
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2013 — On May 9, he was named NBA's Executive of the Year for the 2012-13 season, during which Denver won 57 games (tied for its most since joining the NBA via merger with ABA in 1976).
2013 — On May 31, Ujiri re-joined the Raptors as executive vice president and general manager on a five-year, $15 million deal.
2013 — On July 10, the Raptors traded Andrea Bargnani to the New York Knicks for Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson, a 2016 first-round pick (used to select Jakob Poeltl ninth) and two second-round picks.
2013 — The Raptors entered Dec. 9 with a record of 7-12 to begin the 2013-14 season. That day, Ujiri traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings for Chuck Hayes, Patrick Patterson, John Salmons and Greivis Vásquez. Toronto had the NBA's fourth-best record (41-22, .651 win percentage) en route to the first of a franchise-record seven consecutive playoff berths. The Raptors finished 48-34, then the best record in team history.
2014 — On April 19, during a fan rally for the Raptors' first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, Ujiri shouted 'F— Brooklyn!' to the crowd, for which he apologized. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver fined Ujiri $25,000 for the incident.
2014 — With the 20th pick, the Raptors took Brazilian forward Bruno Caboclo, a relative unknown who memorably caused ESPN international basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla to declare that Caboclo was 'two years away from being two years away.' Caboclo played just 25 games over three-plus years with the Raptors before Ujiri traded him to Sacramento in 2017. He played for the Kings, Grizzlies and Rockets before leaving the league, but he has put together a solid international career.
2015 — On April 18, at a postseason fan rally, Ujiri said, 'We don't give a s— about it!' in response to the Washington Wizards' Paul Pierce saying the Raptors didn't have an 'it' factor. Silver fined Ujiri $35,000 and the Raptors organization $25,000. Ujiri apologized for the comments.
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2016 — For the 2015-16 season, the Raptors notched the first 50-win season in team history (56-26 mark, finishing one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, the eventual NBA champions, for first in the East) as Kyle Lowry secured his first career All-NBA nod (Third Team). Toronto reached its first-ever conference final, losing to LeBron James' Cavaliers in six games.
2016 — On June 23, Ujiri and the Raptors drafted New Mexico State's Pascal Siakam, who was born in Cameroon, 27th in the 2016 NBA Draft. He was assigned to the franchise's G League affiliate, Raptors 905, as a rookie. Siakam led Raptors 905 to the G League title that season, averaging 23 points and nine rebounds in the finals en route to MVP honors.
2017 — Led by DeMar DeRozan's All-NBA season (Third Team), Toronto won 51 games in the 2016-17 season but were swept in East semifinals by the Cavaliers.
2017 — The Raptors drafted Indiana forward O.G. Anunoby 23rd in the 2017 NBA Draft.
2018 — During the 2017-18 season, the Raptors set a franchise record with 59 wins as Dwane Casey won NBA Coach of the Year honors. The Raptors fired Casey shortly after the 2018 playoffs, which ended with the Raptors' third consecutive postseason elimination by the Cavaliers, another sweep. Ujiri promoted Toronto assistant Nick Nurse to head coach.
2018 — On July 18, Ujiri traded DeRozan, Poeltl and a top-20-protected 2019 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green and cash. In 60 regular-season games during his lone season as a Raptor, Leonard averaged 26.6 points, which remains the third-highest single-season mark in team history, trailing only peak Vince Carter (27.6 in 2000-01) and DeRozan (27.3 in 2016-17).
2018 — On Nov. 28, during Peace Week, Ujiri was awarded the first-ever President's Peace Medal presented by YMCA of Greater Toronto.
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2019 — On Feb. 7, the Raptors acquired Marc Gasol from the Grizzlies in exchange for Jonas Valančiūnas, C.J. Miles, Delon Wright and a 2024 second-round pick. Down the stretch of the 2018-19 regular season, Gasol appeared in 25 games for the Raptors, shooting 44.2 percent from deep, ranking second on the team in rebounds (6.6 per game), second in blocks (0.9 per game) and third in assists (4.0 per game). The Raptors were 17.6 points per 100 possessions better when Gasol was on the floor in his 629 minutes to close the regular season than when he sat.
2019 — On June 24, Siakam was named Most Improved Player for the 2018-19 season, during which he averaged 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists after averaging six points across his first 136 NBA games. He earned an All-Star nod and Second Team All-NBA selection by the next season.
2019 — On June 13, the Raptors clinched their first NBA championship, beating the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in that year's finals. Leonard, who won the 2014 NBA Finals MVP as a member of the Spurs, joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lakers, Bucks) and LeBron James (Cavaliers, Heat) as the only players to win finals MVP honors with multiple teams. Leonard's 732 points for the 2019 playoffs trail only Michael Jordan (759 in 1992) and James (748 in 2018) for the highest-scoring playoff run by any player in NBA history.
2019 — Moments after the 2019 title was secured, Ujiri was seen on video getting into an altercation with a sheriff's deputy. It was alleged by Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, that Ujiri failed to show proper credentials for floor access, shoved a sheriff's deputy and made contact with his face. Lowry eventually came over to escort Ujiri onto the court for the Raptors' celebration. Ujiri disputed the account, saying the sheriff's deputy initiated and escalated the confrontation. Both parties filed lawsuits against the other. Both lawsuits were dropped by February 2021.
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2020 — After losing Leonard in free agency, the Raptors went 53-19 for the 2019-20 season, the year was interrupted and shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their title defense ended in the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games.
2021 — For the 2020-21 season, the Raptors had their lowest win total since Ujiri took over (going 27-45 and finishing 12th in the East) and hosted home games in Tampa, Fla., due to travel restrictions between the United States and Canada as the pandemic continued. On July 28, the team drafted Florida State's Scottie Barnes fourth, with the Raptors having moved up from seventh in the lottery.
2021 — On Aug. 6, the Raptors signed Lowry to a new contract to complete a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat for Precious Achiuwa and Goran Dragić.
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2021 — Ujiri signed a five-year contract with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
2022 — The Raptors went 48-34 for the 2021-22 season but were eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers. It was the last time the Raptors finished above .500
2023 — On April 21, the Raptors fired Nurse as head coach, leading to Rajaković, who spent time as an assistant for the Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder, taking over the role.
2023 — On June 30, Ujiri was named an Officer of the Order of Canada.
2023 — On Dec. 30, the Raptors traded Anunoby, Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the Knicks for Barrett, Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick.
2024 — On Jan. 17, the Raptors traded Siakam for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and three future first-round picks.
2024 — On July 8, the Raptors and Quickley, a restricted free agent, agreed to a five-year, $175 million contract. On the same day, Barnes signed a five-year, $224.2 million extension.
2025 — On Feb. 6, Ujiri acquired Ingram from the Pelicans in exchange for Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2031 second-rounder. On Feb. 12, the Raptors and Ingram agreed to a three-year, $120 million contract extension, which includes a player option for 2027-28
2025 — Toronto finished the 2024-25 season with a 30-52 record and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year, marking the longest such streak under Ujiri.
2025 — On June 25, the Raptors selected South Carolina forward Collin Murray-Boyles with the ninth pick of the 2025 NBA Draft.
2025 — On Friday, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment parted ways with Ujiri. During his tenure overseeing the franchise, the Raptors had the NBA's fifth-highest win percentage (.565) as they secured almost twice as many playoff berths in 12 seasons under Ujiri's leadership (eight) than the five they clinched in 18 seasons prior.
( Photo: Dan Hamilton / USA Today Network via Imagn Images )