The man behind the controls of the Toronto Raptors who helped land Kawhi Leonard with the franchise and bring a championship to the city is getting a much-deserved bump up.
Masai Ujiri is becoming Vice Chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
ESPN Sources: Masai Ujiri – architect of the 2019 champions– has agreed to a significant new deal to become Vice Chairman!President of the Toronto Raptors. Ujiri continues as both Raptors top basketball/business executive and a global philanthropist through his Giants of Africa.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 5, 2021
It's a well-earned promotion for Ujiri, who has been with the Raptors since 2013. Before that, he had won NBA Executive of the Year when he was the GM for the Denver Nuggets.
With his deal set to expire with the Raptors, several teams had inquired or kept tabs on Ujiri and what was unfolding in Toronto. Now, the Raptors will be keeping the architect of their 2019 championship team around for the long run.
Toronto's offseason has been far from quiet as Kyle Lowry opted to leave the Raptors for the Miami Heat. It's a big blow to the franchise, but the Raptors still have plenty of good pieces around, including Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam. They also had the fourth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and used that selection to take Scottie Barnes of Florida State.
With Ujiri's new deal and new title locked in, it will send a message of stability throughout the organization and a sigh of relief from the fan base. Ujiri undoubtedly could've picked from a ton of different options had he chosen to leave Toronto. Instead, he's staying loyal to a Raptors organization that he helped turn into a title winner as they look to get back to that promised land.
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