Masai Ujiri is Fired!

The Toronto Raptors have fired longtime General Manager Masai Ujiri after 12 years. The Raptors look to start a new future with new management running the show. Toronto could be a fun play-in team or look to pivot and rebuild.

Author

Syed Shah
July 18, 2025

After 12 years running the Toronto Raptors, making them one of the best teams of the 2010s, his run has come to an end. They ended the decade with one of the greatest trades ever. This move earned them their first NBA Championship in franchise history. Masai had success developing underdogs in Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, and Fred VanVleet. Along with having success in the draft, bringing in stars like DeMar DeRozan and Scottie Barnes. But since this decade has started, it seems like Masai lost the plot in how to build the Raptors. It went from "In Masai We Trust" to fans celebrating him getting fired.

After the 2018-19 trade for Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors aimed to recreate that magic. They have interestingly rebuilt this team. For the past two years, they focused on building around a player they want to trade. The hopes of trying to get Giannis from free agency or if he demands a trade have been dead. Due to the GM and Giannis's connection to Africa, it seemed to be ideal, but it did not pan out. Along with this season, the hopes to get Kevin Durant fell flat on their face as Houston was able to swoop in. Which makes one think that Masai failed to sell the Raptors to star players. Nothing about them was intriguing, which has led to no first option wanting to go there.

Toronto Raptors’ Hopes for Kevin Durant End with Houston Rockets Trade

The Toronto Raptors will not be getting Kevin Durant after the Phoenix Suns sent the former MVP to the Houston Rockets

www.si.com/nba/raptors/toronto-raptors-miss-out-on-kevin-durant-following-phoenix-suns-houston-rockets-trade

Toronto made a pivot in this off-season after the failure to get Kevin Durant. The former GM took part in the draft, which saw Collin Murray end up with the Raptors. It will be interesting to see how he fits with Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Scottie Barnes on the team. The Raptors made a smart move by re-signing Jakob Poeltl. They locked him in for four years at $104 million. This deal might help them trade later on. The Raptors could be a solid play-in team next season.

Raptors sign center Jakob Poeltl to a 4-year contact extension

The Toronto Raptors signed center Jakob Poeltl to a four-year contract extension on Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 29-year-old from Austria averaged a career-best 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds, along with 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in 57 regular-season games for Toronto (30-52) last season.

sports.yahoo.com/article/raptors-sign-center-jakob-poeltl-224004472.html

With Indiana and Boston being weaker, we could see the Raptors being a play-in team. Toronto is taking a new path, as this could lead to a change in how they build their team. It will be interesting to see where the Raptors go from here on out. With Masai gone, it looks like the new regime looks to build on the foundation that Masai built. The Raptors could this season look to make the playoffs or make a pivot throughout the season.

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