The Toronto Raptors made NBA headlines on Friday with the announcement that Masai Ujiri will not return next season as vice chairman and president of the Toronto Raptors according to Shams Charania of ESPN. The firing was made by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Pelley according to Aaron Rose of Sports Illustrated.
Ujiri will forever be linked to the 2019 Toronto Raptors squad and accomplishing what was necessary in leading the Raptors to their only championship in franchise history. The most significant acquisition at the time was a trade with the San Antonio Spurs, and the Raptors acquiring Kawhi Leonard.
But basketball is a sport of what have you done for me lately, not six years ago. The Raptors track record in that time has not been sufficient. Many should not blame Ujiri for Leonard signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. He was heading to southern California regardless who was in charge. However, Ujiri has generally not done well at the NBA Draft. In the last six years, Toronto missed out on Desmond Bane, and has not had a significant number of draft picks to make steady improvement to move up in the NBA standings. The picks simply not have not been there in abundance.
When it comes to free agency, Ujiri has missed out on bringing an impact player who was in his prime. There was a hope by many Raptors fans that Ujiri might have been able to convince former MVP Giannis Anteokounmpo to leave Milwaukee for Canada. It never happened.
There was also hope around the 2019-20 time period that the Raptors could build a team around Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet for many years to come. That never happened either as VanVleet signed with Houston, and Siakam was traded to the Indiana Pacers.
The Raptors have not solved their biggest problem since winning the NBA Finals. That is finding a reliable rebounder that can provide an intimidating presence in the paint. Jakob Poeltl is simply not Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka.
While Ujiri brought immediate glory to Toronto, he failed in bringing sustained success since leading Toronto to the top. Bobby Webster will continue to be the Raptors general manager, and will no longer need to consult with Ujiri on basketball-related on court decisions. It will be interesting to see if the Raptors benefit.
