The man who brought a championship to the Toronto Raptors is leaving the franchise. The Raptors and team president Masai Ujiri are parting ways, the team confirmed Friday.
The move comes at an unusual time. Ujiri just took part in the 2025 NBA Draft with the Raptors, and was entering the final year of his contract. Ujiri could have hypothetically finished out his contract with the team and left in the offseason. It’s unclear why both sides felt it was necessary to move on at this time.
In their statement announcing the move, the Raptors said they would perform a search for a new team president. The team added that members of the current front-office staff will remain in place, including general manager Bobby Webster, who received an extension.
Ujiri’s departure comes a day after the second night of the 2025 NBA Draft. The Raptors received excellent grades from Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor for both their first- and second-round picks. Collin Murray-Boyles, who the team took with the No. 9 overall pick, received an A- from O’Conner. The team’s second-round choice, Alijah Martin, did even better, netting an A+ from O’Connor.
Ujiri initially joined the Raptors in 2013 as the team’s executive vice president and general manager. The franchise experienced success early in his tenure, finishing first or second in the Atlantic division seven straight seasons. In 2016, Ujiri was promoted to team president. He served as the team’s general manager that season before turning that role over to Webster in 2017.
The biggest swing of Ujiri’s tenure with the team came prior to the 2018-19 season, when he traded for Kawhi Leonard. It was a risky move, given Leonard’s injury history, the fact that he had only one year left on his contract and it cost them DeMar DeRozan — for nine years the heart and soul of the team. But Ujiri pulled the trigger for a difference-maker who could bring a title to Toronto. And it worked, with the Raptors defeating the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals. It was the Raptors’ first NBA title since the team was established ahead of the 1995-96 season.
Leonard would ultimately leave following that one season, and the Raptors have been in decline since. After another first-place finish in the division during the 2019-20 NBA season, the Raptors have finished no higher than third in the division over the past five seasons. After finishing .500 during the 2022-23 season, the Raptors have combined to go 55-109 over the past two seasons.
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