Toronto’s President of Basketball Operations could get paid in DC.
The Raptors won it all last night in Oakland, and one of the biggest reasons why is because of the bold moves that Masai Ujiri took to make them a Champion.
Toronto’s President of Basketball Operations traded fan favorite DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard, the deadliest silent assassin in the league. That All Star swap gave the Raptors what they needed to beat the Warriors 4-2 in the NBA Finals, and now, based upon reports circulating this morning, the most sought after man in basketball in Ujiri.
Masai thanks Kawhi for helping bring a championship to the city of Toronto
The ultimate payoff for trading a beloved franchise star in DeRozan pic.twitter.com/nQ8beuK13O
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 14, 2019
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Washington Wizards are ready to open their checkbook and throw the bank at Masai to the tune of close to $10 million per year and an opportunity at ownership equity. With a team that has missed the post-season seven out of the last eleven years, a major move like this could change that scenario quickly.
Sources told ESPN that the Wizards owner, Ted Leonsis, is going to ask the Raptors for formal permission to speak with Ujiri about running Washington’s basketball operations and more, including becoming a part of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which runs both the Wizards and Capitals.
While the team appears to be happy with some of the changes made by interim GM Tommy Sheppard, to bring in a hot name like Masai Ujiri could inject jet fuel into the Wizards operations and possibly help them attract the talent they need to surround John Wall and Bradley Beal. He helped build Denver into a top team and now he’s won a title with the Raptors, so the Masai has the resume and results to demand a big payday from any team looking to acquire his talents.
But Ujiri has two years left on his contract with the Raptors, they just won the NBA title and he’s got a great team in Toronto. So would he actually make a move back across the border?
Only time, and the number of zeroes in an offer, will tell.
