Subscribe
Follow Us
Longtime Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri is parting ways with the organization, ESPN's Shams Charania reported.
Ujiri, who held the positions of vice chairman and president of the Raptors, had been with Toronto since 2013.
“BREAKING: Masai Ujiri is out as Vice Chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN,” Charania posted on X, formerly Twitter. In a subsequent post, Charania said Ujiri and Raptors ownership group Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment had “decided to part ways” ahead of the final year of Ujiri's contract.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and Masai Ujiri have decided to part ways, as Ujiri was entering the final year of his contract, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/PtCKLdJvxC
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2025
As the head of the Raptors' front office, Ujiri is credited with building the team into one of the Eastern Conference's best during the mid-2010s, although Toronto could never break the ceiling imposed by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. That is, however, until Ujiri made a risky trade to acquire Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green from the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a first-round pick. The trade paid off immediately, with the Raptors winning the 2019 NBA championship in Leonard's first and only season in Toronto.
The following year, the Raptors lost in Game 7 of the second round to the Boston Celtics, and since then, they have made the postseason just once and have not won a playoff series.
Ujiri, while receiving immense credit for building the team that won in 2019, has also been criticized over the past few seasons as the Raptors' fortunes have changed for the worse. His handling of Pascal Siakam's potential contract extension drew sharp criticism, with Siakam, who the Raptors finally traded to the Indiana Pacers last year, describing the time as “dark” in his career and Ujiri saying that he personally apologized to Siakam. He also said that Siakam “deserved over-communication.”
In line with the lack of Siakam extension talks or earlier trade, some have also questioned Ujiri's long-term vision during what would appear to be a rebuilding period. In particular, not trading Fred VanVleet and trading for and extending Brandon Ingram for three years and $120 million ahead of this year's deadline, parting ways with a Pacers 2026 first-round pick in the process, was seen as more of a win-now move for a team that ultimately finished 30-52.
According to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel, Toronto's ownership group said, “Raptors front office leadership remains in place with extensions for key personnel including general manager Bobby Webster.” Webster, who “led the Raptors draft efforts this week,” per Siegel, joined the Raptors soon after Ujiri's hiring and ascended to assistant general manager and then GM in 2017.
