[Shams] Masai Ujiri is out as Vice Chairman and President of the Toronto Raptors

[ForeverTFC]

Ruined the off-season.

3-4 years too late.

Serge
Gasol
Powell
GTJ
Lowry
Purtle
FVV
Siakam
OG
#9

The lost of asset/resource value either by inaction (not selling early enough) or delayed (selling too late) … cost the rebuild a huge amount of net assets, and not much to show for it (no high recent draft picks). For all Masai’s respect he brought, did it translate to any Free Agent acquisition that was even meaningful? He was a likeable guy, but his “organic growth” or “believe in yourself, believe in your city” comments just masked repeated poor execution.

Could they find a “better replacement” yes
Will they likely hire an actual “better replacement” no
But I’m willing to roll the dice on hopefully fresh/new young blood, and see what comes from it

Masai was so motivated over the last two months to land a big fish /any fish …. And he got nothing …. That’s how much the league values Raptors current set of (tradable) assets , and then he/they turn down a good long term package on Tuesday night.

This is exactly how I'm viewing it, fresh blood (hopefully) will be good. Clearly no one in the NBA is particularly enthralled with our assets outside of Scottie, and the absolute scramblinb for a short term win and as you said turning down a long term package just shows where we were at.

My problem though, is that it seems like Bobby is being kept, and he's part of the problem. I still have hopes that they dont extend him and they clean house of at least bobby.

Ownership just told you they want the rebuild accelerated and the team competitive. The problem is staring at you yet you refuse to acknowledge it. You think new blood is going to convince these guys to tank when what Masai was doing was not fast enough for them?

[TGM]

This is typical Corporate politics 101. Larry T exiting, Masai’s exit is inevitable. Masai was Larry’s guy. It doesn’t matter how competent Masai is Roger’s will not trust him and bring in his own guy that kisses the ring.

For those thinking Bobby will get a bigger role. No chance in the foreseeable future. Bobby is a typically Corporate fence rider ( like the transformer character that can go autobots to decepticons) and clearly him not getting ousted means two things. 1. He is relatively junior in the pecking order. 2. He is somewhat competent and easily controllable by the powers from above.

This whole search process I think is just a PR stunt. Pellet doesn’t come in without people in mind already. My guess is the new President definitely has some sort of tie back to Pelley or Roger’s.

[Godaddycurse]

Anyone aware of Rogers Communications debt to equity ratio?

It’s **** high….4.64

People can call Ed Rogers a clown, rascist, cheap, egotistical….whatever.

At the end of the day it was a business decision to cut costs now that Rogers is paying 100% of the costs.

Tim Leiweke recruited Masai with the promise to help fund GOA and everything else he wanted to do. LarryT made sure all that continued. Larry is leaving and so are the extras costs associated with Masai.

I don’t believe they will hire another person to run the team. Bobby is a business/cap guy first, not a basketball guy. I think he’ll be president and Tolzman will become GM. Everyone will pump up the chain one peg.

The MLSE is looking at the day to day operations of the team and questioning 1) what does Masai bring in light of the team’s recent performance and his distractions away from the team, and 2) is it possible after 13 years Bobby and Co are capable of running the organization without Masai’s $15m+ oversight?

I suspect fat chance of us paying the tax to field a competitive team in the future. Rogers will be gunning for that lux tax distribution

I encourage you to take a look at exactly how many times we've gone into the tax, and then come back and re-read your post.

we paid lux tax for kawhi in 2019 and would've paid it to keep him/had he re-signed. I'm saying thats unlikely to happen again

[TorontoRapsFan]

Anyone aware of Rogers Communications debt to equity ratio?

It’s **** high….4.64

People can call Ed Rogers a clown, rascist, cheap, egotistical….whatever.

At the end of the day it was a business decision to cut costs now that Rogers is paying 100% of the costs.

Tim Leiweke recruited Masai with the promise to help fund GOA and everything else he wanted to do. LarryT made sure all that continued. Larry is leaving and so are the extras costs associated with Masai.

I don’t believe they will hire another person to run the team. Bobby is a business/cap guy first, not a basketball guy. I think he’ll be president and Tolzman will become GM. Everyone will pump up the chain one peg.

The MLSE is looking at the day to day operations of the team and questioning 1) what does Masai bring in light of the team’s recent performance and his distractions away from the team, and 2) is it possible after 13 years Bobby and Co are capable of running the organization without Masai’s $15m+ oversight?

You talking about numbers that are in the billions. Firing one person for their 10 mil or whatever it may be isn't about addressing debt to equity ratio. Especially not when it's a person who leads a successful section of the organization with continued increase in net revenue and valuation.

[ItsDanger]

What's Hinkie up to these days? Maybe Rogers likes his style.

[tanuki1031]

Ed Rogers wants to be James Dolan North, nothing else.

Tomorrow he'll be telling the world how he made the Raptors the most valuable sports franchise in Canada. Higher revs and valuation than even the Toronto Maple Leafs. In Toronto.

"I did that" - Ed Rogers

[yongeandcollege]

Thank you Masai! Good luck in the future. Go Raps!

[Scase]

3-4 years too late.

Serge
Gasol
Powell
GTJ
Lowry
Purtle
FVV
Siakam
OG
#9

The lost of asset/resource value either by inaction (not selling early enough) or delayed (selling too late) … cost the rebuild a huge amount of net assets, and not much to show for it (no high recent draft picks). For all Masai’s respect he brought, did it translate to any Free Agent acquisition that was even meaningful? He was a likeable guy, but his “organic growth” or “believe in yourself, believe in your city” comments just masked repeated poor execution.

Could they find a “better replacement” yes
Will they likely hire an actual “better replacement” no
But I’m willing to roll the dice on hopefully fresh/new young blood, and see what comes from it

Masai was so motivated over the last two months to land a big fish /any fish …. And he got nothing …. That’s how much the league values Raptors current set of (tradable) assets , and then he/they turn down a good long term package on Tuesday night.

This is exactly how I'm viewing it, fresh blood (hopefully) will be good. Clearly no one in the NBA is particularly enthralled with our assets outside of Scottie, and the absolute scramblinb for a short term win and as you said turning down a long term package just shows where we were at.

My problem though, is that it seems like Bobby is being kept, and he's part of the problem. I still have hopes that they dont extend him and they clean house of at least bobby.

Ownership just told you they want the rebuild accelerated and the team competitive. The problem is staring at you yet you refuse to acknowledge it. You think new blood is going to convince these guys to tank when what Masai was doing was not fast enough for them?

Where did I say anything about tanking, all I said was fresh blood. Believe it or not, Masai isn't the only person who can build an NBA team. I'm just sick and tired of rosters where no one can hit the broadside of a **** barn.

Masai or no, I do not like how the team has been built for years now, I'm hoping for some different ideas and approaches. Stop trying to turn everything I say into an argument, jeeze.

[Scase]

I suspect fat chance of us paying the tax to field a competitive team in the future. Rogers will be gunning for that lux tax distribution

I encourage you to take a look at exactly how many times we've gone into the tax, and then come back and re-read your post.

we paid lux tax for kawhi in 2019 and would've paid it to keep him/had he re-signed. I'm saying thats unlikely to happen again

Well step one is being competitive, and we haven't done that in many years. We've gone into the tax once, I'm sure they'd be willing to do it a 2nd time.

[ArthurVandelay]

Anyone aware of Rogers Communications debt to equity ratio?

It’s **** high….4.64

People can call Ed Rogers a clown, rascist, cheap, egotistical….whatever.

At the end of the day it was a business decision to cut costs now that Rogers is paying 100% of the costs.

Tim Leiweke recruited Masai with the promise to help fund GOA and everything else he wanted to do. LarryT made sure all that continued. Larry is leaving and so are the extras costs associated with Masai.

I don’t believe they will hire another person to run the team. Bobby is a business/cap guy first, not a basketball guy. I think he’ll be president and Tolzman will become GM. Everyone will pump up the chain one peg.

The MLSE is looking at the day to day operations of the team and questioning 1) what does Masai bring in light of the team’s recent performance and his distractions away from the team, and 2) is it possible after 13 years Bobby and Co are capable of running the organization without Masai’s $15m+ oversight?

You talking about numbers that are in the billions. Firing one person for their 10 mil or whatever it may be isn't about addressing debt to equity ratio. Especially not when it's a person who leads a successful section of the organization with continued increase in net revenue and valuation.

This is a cost cutting decision. That is the only point. When your debt to equity ratio is 4.64, you’re going to cut every additional expense possible. Ratios are usually higher for telecommunication companies due to the high infrastructure costs, however any debt to equity over 2 is still considered very high.

I think it is awful for the Raptors that Masai is gone, but I choose not to process the decision from a purely emotional perspective. Maybe that will change when we hopefully hear from Masai in the coming days. But at this time I definitely can see the perspective of why Rogers made the decision. They want to cut costs, they want someone who prioritizes the bottom line, and they want someone focused solely on Raptors basketball.

[ForeverTFC]

Ed doesn’t cheap out on his rosters - look at the Jays. If he does cut the money from the Raptors, it will be because he doesn’t care about the team, not because his shareholders are angry.

This is personal. This is about showing Masai who’s boss and getting back at Larry for going over his head.

[Wise80]

Anyone aware of Rogers Communications debt to equity ratio?

It’s **** high….4.64

People can call Ed Rogers a clown, rascist, cheap, egotistical….whatever.

At the end of the day it was a business decision to cut costs now that Rogers is paying 100% of the costs.

Tim Leiweke recruited Masai with the promise to help fund GOA and everything else he wanted to do. LarryT made sure all that continued. Larry is leaving and so are the extras costs associated with Masai.

I don’t believe they will hire another person to run the team. Bobby is a business/cap guy first, not a basketball guy. I think he’ll be president and Tolzman will become GM. Everyone will pump up the chain one peg.

The MLSE is looking at the day to day operations of the team and questioning 1) what does Masai bring in light of the team’s recent performance and his distractions away from the team, and 2) is it possible after 13 years Bobby and Co are capable of running the organization without Masai’s $15m+ oversight?

I suspect fat chance of us paying the tax to field a competitive team in the future. Rogers will be gunning for that lux tax distribution

I encourage you to take a look at exactly how many times we've gone into the tax, and then come back and re-read your post.

This. We were dumping Monroe just to save a little bit of money at the deadline of our championship year.

[NotMyKawhi]

He was the highest paid president in all of sports. With that comes expectations

[WuTang_CMB]

Read on Twitter

?s=46&t=0YpMScWXY2zRUqR8fH-usg

[OAKLEY_2]

Masai personified the We The North mantra. and its outsider underdog energy.

Pelley / Roger’s is as ‘insiders only club’ as you get. Might as well change our motto to We The Status Quo.

Yup and def no more BLM vans or taking to one knee.

[Tor_Raps]

Rogers will only feel any effects if people cancel their rogers services in protest. There's only so much we can do as normal people but speaking with your wallets and letting Rogers know why is all we can really do.

[TheRealDeal]

This is typical Corporate politics 101. Larry T exiting, Masai’s exit is inevitable. Masai was Larry’s guy. It doesn’t matter how competent Masai is Roger’s will not trust him and bring in his own guy that kisses the ring.

For those thinking Bobby will get a bigger role. No chance in the foreseeable future. Bobby is a typically Corporate fence rider ( like the transformer character that can go autobots to decepticons) and clearly him not getting ousted means two things. 1. He is relatively junior in the pecking order. 2. He is somewhat competent and easily controllable by the powers from above.

This whole search process I think is just a PR stunt. Pellet doesn’t come in without people in mind already. My guess is the new President definitely has some sort of tie back to Pelley or Roger’s.

If that’s the case then times truly are dark

[BillNyeBballGuy]

Masai personified the We The North mantra. and its outsider underdog energy.

Pelley / Roger’s is as ‘insiders only club’ as you get. Might as well change our motto to We The Status Quo.

Yup and def no more BLM vans or taking to one knee.

That's a bad thing

[TorontoRapsFan]

Anyone aware of Rogers Communications debt to equity ratio?

It’s **** high….4.64

People can call Ed Rogers a clown, rascist, cheap, egotistical….whatever.

At the end of the day it was a business decision to cut costs now that Rogers is paying 100% of the costs.

Tim Leiweke recruited Masai with the promise to help fund GOA and everything else he wanted to do. LarryT made sure all that continued. Larry is leaving and so are the extras costs associated with Masai.

I don’t believe they will hire another person to run the team. Bobby is a business/cap guy first, not a basketball guy. I think he’ll be president and Tolzman will become GM. Everyone will pump up the chain one peg.

The MLSE is looking at the day to day operations of the team and questioning 1) what does Masai bring in light of the team’s recent performance and his distractions away from the team, and 2) is it possible after 13 years Bobby and Co are capable of running the organization without Masai’s $15m+ oversight?

You talking about numbers that are in the billions. Firing one person for their 10 mil or whatever it may be isn't about addressing debt to equity ratio. Especially not when it's a person who leads a successful section of the organization with continued increase in net revenue and valuation.

This is a cost cutting decision. That is the only point. When your debt to equity ratio is 4.64, you’re going to cut every additional expense possible. Ratios are usually higher for telecommunication companies due to the high infrastructure costs, however any debt to equity over 2 is still considered very high.

I think it is awful for the Raptors that Masai is gone, but I choose not to process the decision from a purely emotional perspective. Maybe that will change when we hopefully hear from Masai in the coming days. But at this time I definitely can see the perspective of why Rogers made the decision. They want to cut costs, they want someone who prioritizes the bottom line, and they want someone focused solely on Raptors basketball.

Come on now. Rogers debt is 44 billion dollars. If they think cutting the head off a successful section of your organization to save 15 mil, that can also result in more losses as a result, is good cost cutting then that's pretty amateurish. However, considering rogers tried to block Masai from getting his position in 2021, and then this happening now, cost cutting doesn't fit.

In fact I bet Rogers bought major shares so that they can use Raptors and leafs as two revenue generating entities that will stay in the positive even when bad so they can put that money towards the debt they accrued by the rest of the business. He doesn't even care if this means Raptors lost 50-100 mil in revenue yearly eventually. They'll still be positive on the books and that's all he'll care about. Cause even with a 4 billion dollar valuation, compared to the telecom side it's still nothing.

[WaltFrazier]

Watch on YouTube

What's Next for the Raptors After Masai Ujiri's Firing?

Yahoo! Sports

June 27, 2025

The Toronto Raptors shocked the NBA world by firing Masai Ujiri — just one day after the 2025 NBA Draft. After 13 years, a 2019 championship, and a reputation as one of the league’s boldest executives, Ujiri is out. Why now?

Kevin O’Connor and Tom Haberstroh dig into what really led to Ujiri’s departure — from growing tension with Raptors ownership to a string of questionable moves involving Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet. They also break down Toronto’s draft picks and the quiet rise of GM Bobby Webster, who may have been running the show behind the scenes all along.

Is this the start of a new era in Toronto… or a franchise slipping into chaos?

0:00 – Raptors Fire Masai Ujiri After NBA Draft

1:22 – Raptors Draft Recap: Murray-Boyles & Martin

3:00 – Ingram Trade, Siakam Exit & Front Office Confusion

4:14 – “I Lost My Joy” — Siakam’s Exit Tells a Bigger Story

6:15 – What’s Next for the Raptors?

Mostly an indictment of Masai. Questioned the moves since 2020. Cast doubt on the team's culture with the bit about Pascal having lost his joy and being happy to be traded.

It seems to me what culture Masai built was lost when Kyle left, followed by Norm FVV, OG and Pascal. Those guys were the heart of Masai's culture.

I'm not a follower of the podcast guy Pensare. But his point about how Pascal FVV and Nurse wore hats with their own brand/logo to media sessions struck me. That was a change in Raptor culture. Maybe trivial maybe important. . And I feel like any new positive culture development this past year, with young enthusiastic bench guys, stems from Darko and his positive approach . Not from Masai.

Oh and the video stressed the issue of Masai being stretched in more than one direction with GoA and Basketball without Borders. Worthy causes, but is there any other team president/GM in the NBA whose sole focus isn't making the team better and nothing else?