Hawks Reportedly Targeting Raptors' Masai Ujiri for President of Basketball Ops
The Atlanta Hawks reportedly "have interest in trying to hire" Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri as their new president of basketball operations, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.
He added that it was "not immediately clear, league sources say, what sort of shot Atlanta has at prizing Ujiri away from the league's lone Canadian franchise."
Ujiri, 54, has worked for the Raptors in two stints, first between 2008-10 before returning to the franchise in 2013 as the general manager. In 2016, he was promoted to president of basketball operations, a role he's held since.
Under his watch, the Raptors won their lone NBA title in the 2018-19 season, buoyed by the bold trade to land Kawhi Leonard, who was one-and-done in Toronto but certainly made it a memorable stay.
The Raptors have been in something of a soft rebuild since, however, missing the postseason in four of the past six seasons, though the team has some intriguing young players to build around, including Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Gradey Dick.
The Hawks, meanwhile, have made the NBA's Play-In Tournament two seasons ago but failed to reach the postseason. They are stuck in a bit of a weird spot from a roster construction standpoint, with veterans like Trae Young and Clint Capela surrounded by a younger core of Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Onyeka Okongwu and Zaccharie Risacher.
The Hawks fired Landry Fields and promoted cap guru Onsi Saleh to general manager already, and they've reportedly been casting a wide net for a president of basketball operations.
Per Stein, the Hawks, "before their interest in Ujiri emerged, pursued former Golden State Warriors executive Bob Myers without success and have likewise approached various top agents to gauge their interest in the job," including "Octagon's Alex Saratsis, who represents Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Miami's Bam Adebayo."
It remains to be seen if Ujiri, who has seen his name come up in similar searches in the past, has any desire to leave Toronto. The Hawks reportedly are going to make their pitch.
