NBA Insider Makes Definitive Statement on Masai Ujiri's Potential Role With Hawks

Ujiri was fired by the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Masai Ujiri and the Raptors parted ways Friday. / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Friday morning, the Toronto Raptors fired Masai Ujiri, their top basketball executive who had been with the team for over a decade, helping to orchestrate a title-winning team along the way in 2019.

The move itself was not a huge shock, but the timing was with the NBA draft having wrapped just the night before.

The big question for Ujiri now is where he'll work next if he wants to pursue a continued career as an NBA front office executive. Right after news of his availability, plenty speculated the Atlanta Hawks could be a suitor.

Atlanta had reported interest in Ujiri months ago after it opted to shake up its own front office and hire Onsi Saleh as general manager. However, two executives hired underneath Saleh seemed to indicate the likelihood of Atlanta landing Ujiri was an unlikely proposition.

New reporting Friday night supports that thinking.

Marc Stein, in his Substack newsletter The Stein Line said the Hawks are operating under the expectation that Saleh will be their top executive for the, "foreseeable future."

While things—such as the sudden availability of Ujiri, who had one year left on his contract with the Raptors—can change in an instant, prompting a shift in strategy, for the time being, it appears the door on Ujiri running the show for the Hawks is closed.

---

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

feed