An NBA team is trying to hire Raptors’ President Masai Ujiri

As is the case every once in a while, another NBA team is trying to hire Toronto Raptors’ leader Masai Ujiri.

Toronto Raptors President and Vice Chairman Masai Ujiri is one of the NBA’s most sought-after executives. He has built this franchise into a world-renowned place for players and staff alike to build basketball careers. Ujiri is also the reason the Raptors were able to win a championship — his move to bring Kawhi Leonard to Toronto was the perfect finishing puzzle piece to the Raptors’ winning team.

He’s also a global ambassador of the game, helping bring basketball to millions worldwide through Giants of Africa. You rarely get a high-level NBA executive who brings a mixture of business savvy and humanity to a league that sometimes feels like it’s drowning in the throes of capitalism.

It’s not surprising, then, that Ujiri tends to be head-hunted by other franchises. This time, it seems like the Atlanta Hawks are interested in bringing Ujiri onto their staff, per Marc Stein.

The Hawks have had a rough go of it these past few years, having a blip of playoff success before falling right off back into the irrelevancy of not being a contender but not being in the mix for high-picks. They cleaned house of their front office staff after the 2025 season, promoting internally for the role of General Manager and now searching for a President. According to Stein this week, Ujiri is on their wish list.

Others on their hit list have included Bob Myers, former Golden State Warriors executive, as well as several top agents around the league.

Luckily for Toronto fans, Ujiri seems pretty committed to his role here, stating back in April at end-of-season availability that he believes the team is heading in a winning direction. Toronto has always seemed like the perfect market for Ujiri — it brings his interests of high-level basketball and reaching a global audience together, especially as the NBA’s sole international franchise. He wouldn’t move just anywhere for any job, and it seems like Toronto is where his heart is.

Rumours like this have also been historically tied to being leverage for contract negotiations. The more sought-after you are, the more your current employer may be willing to put on the table for you. Despite loving his job and this market, Ujiri is a businessman at heart. With Ujiri’s contract expiring in 2026 amid a flurry of ownership changes at MLSE (the board that owns the Toronto Raptors), including the eventual departure of Larry Tannenbaum, Ujiri’s future here may be questioned. Ujiri and Tannenbaum have always been close, and it’s been speculated on before that it has been Tannenbaum who has been the guy to close Ujiri’s deals in the past. Masai has been vocal that there is no bad blood between him and the rest of the MLSE bigwigs, despite speculation. Yet, you never know what is going on behind closed doors. All of this to say, true interest from other markets may make MLSE sweeten the deal for Ujiri in future contract negotiations.

Regardless, Ujiri seems to be focused on the Raptors for now. He was their representative at the NBA Draft Lottery last week, looking somewhat hilariously disappointed when Toronto fell to No. 9 in the draft order. It was extremely relatable, Masai. Never change.

When asked how he felt about the Raptors’ draft placement, Ujiri had a short answer: “Tracy McGrady, DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl,” all Toronto Raptors players drafted ninth overall in previous NBA Drafts. Ujiri has always had a knack for scouting talent regardless of draft placement, and he doesn’t seem perturbed at this latest pick.

Curious how perturbed he is at Dallas getting the No. 1 pick, but that’s something I’ll have to ask him next time I see him.