Other than the small matter of it being the day the longest-serving and most profitable govt in franchise historical past was relieved of his duties with one 12 months remaining on his contract, Friday unfolded as anticipated for the Toronto Raptors.
Their two most up-to-date acquisitions, Collin Murray-Boyles and Alijah Martin, arrived as scheduled in Toronto after being chosen ninth and thirty ninth total, respectively, within the NBA Draft, which was Masai Ujiri’s final official obligation as Raptors president and vice-chairman.
However by the point the pair arrived on the OVO Athletic Heart for physicals Friday morning, MLSE president Keith Pelley had introduced the group weas ‘parting methods’ with Ujiri and would start the seek for a brand new group president.
An anticipated media availability with the newcomers was scrapped, understandably.
In the meantime, as Raptors followers and the remainder of the NBA universe have been digesting the information, the group’s rookies have been getting a tour of their soon-to-be new metropolis, visiting the CN Tower and having dinner with the teaching employees. The Raptors Las Vegas NBA Summer time League schedule was launched. The group’s first sport is July 11.
Saturday and Sunday this weekend is a Summer time League mini-camp right here in Toronto. The entrance workplace is working to finalize its roster for Las Vegas and solidify the three roster spots they possible can have open, with the caveat that — barring a commerce that loosens up some cash — they may should be minimal offers to maintain from tipping over the luxury-tax threshold. Presuming one in all them is focused for Garrett Temple, who performed an essential position as veteran voice on a younger group, there might be solely two spots obtainable.
One other identify that could be out there’s Ben Simmons, the oft-injured former No.1 choose who cobbled collectively some attention-grabbing box-score totals (9.2 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per 36 minutes) in a restricted position over 51 video games break up between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Raptors had a gathering for his or her basketball employees Friday afternoon led by common supervisor Bobby Webster, proper across the time Pelley was giving his guarded clarification for why Ujiri was let go and asserting that Webster could be interviewed as a possible successor to Ujiri as president.
In the meantime, Webster’s message to the troops — all of whom realized of the Ujiri information moments earlier than it grew to become public — was that seeing Ujiri go was a blow, and his contributions received’t quickly be forgotten, however the NBA strikes on and there was work to do.
However what path all that work takes, and at whose behest, would be the query hanging over the franchise till the brand new president is employed — a course of that might take weeks or months.
“I feel the urgency is to search out the proper particular person,” Pelley stated Friday. “If we’re capable of finding the proper particular person subsequent week, unbelievable. If that’s subsequent month, that’s OK, too, and if it’s in two months, that’s OK. That’s our No. 1 precedence, discovering the proper particular person that may get us again to contending and successful championships.
“That’s a luxurious that now we have (as a result of) now we have Dan Tolzman as our director of participant personnel, that now we have Bobby Webster within the common supervisor’s position. That provides us the flexibleness that we want,” Pelley stated.
“We’re actually not going to hurry into something simply in order that now we have a president.”
So establishment works for now.
Webster and the teaching employees are below contract, with extensions that run by means of the top of the 2026-27 season, in line with sources.
The Raptors’ draft picks — two high-energy, high-IQ, defensive-minded gamers — are in line with the fashion of play that head coach Darko Rajakovic and his employees carried out with some success within the second half of the season. That neither are polished shooters is a vote of confidence within the improvement course of the Raptors have in place.
The argument for continuity is that progress has been made; the tradition nurtured by Rajakovic and his employees that was so evident final season has begun to take root and the event wins are coming.
In that situation, the answer is easy: promote Webster to the president’s position, give the general-manager title to long-time assistant GM and director of participant personnel Tolzman, and deepen the entrance workplace elsewhere as required.
The argument for change is that the manager group below Ujiri has been in place even because the group’s efficiency has declined since 2021-22, the Raptors’ final playoff look.
A contemporary set of eyes might be helpful to evaluate whether or not Scottie Barnes is correctly suited to the position of franchise cornerstone that he was assigned by Ujiri virtually from the second he was drafted No. 4 in 2021, and the way the opposite roster items match.
It ought to be a horny job, as a result of there are solely 30 alternatives on the planet to be the president of an NBA group — and for the time being, many of the positions are crammed.
“I feel (being) the president of an NBA franchise is all the time interesting,” Pelley stated. “So, I do not assume that we’ll have any challenges in any way, discovering a robust, outstanding businessman with an in-depth background in basketball operations.”
However as one league supply identified, a complication within the hiring course of might be that the Raptors entrance workplace is undamaged. Some candidates could be snug with that; others may wish to clear home and put their very own imprint on the franchise instantly. Pelley feels like his desire is for Webster to remain on within the common supervisor’s position.
“Nicely, I feel the group president can be very concerned within the basketball operations and might want to work very intently with Bobby,” Pelley stated.
As for candidates? Names are already circulating informally in league circles, although the method right here will contain Los Angeles-based CAA Govt Search — a agency Pelley has used earlier than — to determine, vet and shortlist candidates. The search additionally possible will embrace some enter from NBA commissioner Adam Silver, earlier than Pelley would current choices to the MLSE board, which can be majority managed by Rogers Communications (which owns Sportsnet) when its deal to buy Bell’s 37.5-per-cent share in MLSE closes, possible in early July.
Some names within the meantime (in no order):
The gold customary for front-office expertise within the NBA and rumoured to be desirous to get again right into a front-office place after doing tv work for ESPN following a glittering run on the helm of the Golden State Warriors. Myers would fall within the ‘never-hurts-to-ask’ class, however could be an exceptionally costly rent.
An extended-time agent with European ties whose shoppers embrace Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo and Ochai Agbaji, amongst others. He was a candidate for the president’s position with the Atlanta Hawks and would proceed a mini-trend the place former brokers transition to govt positions (Leon Rose with the New York Knicks; Rob Pelinka with the Los Angeles Lakers; Myers, previously with Golden State; Justin Zanik with the Utah Jazz; Arn Tellem with the Detroit Pistons).
The Chicago Bulls common manger boke into the NBA working for the Raptors below Bryan Colangelo in the course of the latter’s tenure as president and common supervisor, had an assistant common supervisor position in Washington and later labored for Colangelo in Philadelphia. He has shut ties with the prevailing Raptors entrance workplace and is on the board for Canada Basketball. The Brampton, Ont.-raised former Nike govt has been with the Bulls since 2020, has practically 20 years of front-office expertise and was instrumental within the Raptors drafting DeMar DeRozan in 2009.
A highly-regarded common supervisor with the Minnesota Timberwolves, beforehand with the Orlando Magic and Bulls. He has a repute as very good, industrious and personable, and his ighly trusted by T-Wolves president Tim Connelly, who himself is a extremely revered govt and was Ujiri’s successor in Denver.
One of the crucial profitable head coaches in Raptors historical past and an NBA veteran with 40 years of expertise who transitioned to a front-office position with the Pistons. Few would know the Raptors panorama higher.
The overall supervisor with Indiana Pacers who has used his background in scouting to determine gamers from the school {and professional} ranks that match with the Pacers system on their solution to their NBA Finals look this 12 months.
There can be extra names that floor and the profitable candidate may come out of the blue. Within the meantime, the Raptors will proceed — enterprise as typical — even within the absence of Ujiri, besides that issues are completely different now.
