Raptors’ Ownership Group Fought Over Masai Ujiri Extension
Various factions of the Raptors‘ ownership group held divergent opinions on how to handle the contract negotiations with team president Masai Ujiri earlier this year, according to a fascinating report from Christine Dobby and Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Ujiri finalized a new long-term extension with the franchise in August.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns the Raptors, is controlled in part by Rogers Communications (37.5%), BCE (Bell) Inc. (37.5%), and team governor Larry Tanenbaum‘s Kilmer Group (25%).
Edward Rogers – the former chair of Rogers Communications who has recently been embroiled in a public battle for control of the company with his mother and siblings – opposed the terms of the deal that Tanenbaum and Bell wanted to offer Ujiri, expressing that the compensation was too high and that general manager Bobby Webster was capable of taking over control of the team’s front office if necessary, sources tell The Toronto Star.
According to Dobby and Smith, Rogers explicitly told Ujiri he didn’t think he was worth the salary the rest of the Raptors’ ownership group wanted to offer him, prompting MLSE executives to go into “damage-control mode” and to tell Ujiri to ignore those comments.
Rogers insisted he would only agree to the deal if a dozen terms were met, including 11 relating to Ujiri’s compensation and one that would see Rogers Communications take its 37.5% stake in MLSE and combine it with the Toronto Blue Jays to create a separate company. However, because Tanenbaum holds the title of Raptors governor, he had the authority to make the final call on personnel issues without Rogers’ sign-off, which is the path he chose to complete Ujiri’s deal, according to The Star.
Rogers, who was “furious,” reached out to commissioner Adam Silver, but was told by two league officials that Tanenbaum had the right to make that decision, per Dobby and Smith.
Asked on Sunday about the negotiations, Rogers said he has the “utmost respect” for Ujiri and is happy he remains in his current role.
“Masai understands better than anyone that negotiations test both sides,” Rogers said. “The best deals involve compromise and leave all parties feeling like winners.”
According to Dobby and Smith, Ujiri’s contract with the Raptors includes a $15MM annual salary, with the ability to earn more in incentive pay if the value of the franchise continues to increase. Ujiri also received the new title of vice chairman to go along with his president title.
A league source tells The Toronto Star that another NBA team offered Ujiri a 3% ownership stake, with a salary higher than the $15MM per year he received from the Raptors. Soccer teams in the English Premier League also expressed interest in Ujiri, per Dobby and Smith.
2021/22 NBA G League Draft Results
The NBA G League held its draft for the 2021/22 season on Saturday afternoon.
The 28 G League teams affiliated with NBA teams participated in the event, with the G League Ignite and Mexico City Capitanes sitting it out. The Ignite and Capitanes will be taking part in the NBAGL’s Showcase Cup this fall, but won’t be part of the 36-game regular season that tips off in late December.
The first player selected in today’s draft was former St. John’s point guard Shamorie Ponds, who was picked by the Delaware Blue Coats, the Sixers‘ G League affiliate. Ponds has a little NBA experience, having appeared in four games as a rookie in 2019/20 while on a two-way contract with Toronto.
Among the other notable picks were Nate Darling by the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario at No. 5 and LiAngelo Ball by the Greensboro Swarm at No. 14. Last week, the Clippers and Hornets signed and waived Darling and Ball, respectively, in an effort to secure their affiliate rights, but were unable to get those rights for procedural reasons. The two teams had to use the draft to make sure they landed those players.
The Knicks also signed and waived veteran guard Brandon Knight during the preseason and were unable to get his affiliate rights due to a procedural issue. However, Westchester passed on Knight with the No. 4 overall pick today, and the Heat‘s affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, snatched him up at No. 6. We’ll see if Knight is no longer in the Knicks’ plans or if the Skyforce intend to trade his rights to Westchester.
Lance Stephenson to the Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets) at No. 13 and Dwyane Wade‘s son Zaire Wade to the Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz) at No. 10 were a couple of the other notable picks that played out as expected.
Here are the full 2021/22 G League draft results:
Round One:
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Shamorie Ponds
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Tyler Hagedorn
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Gabe York
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Justin Turner
- Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): Nate Darling
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Brandon Knight
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Eddie Stansberry
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Jaylen Johnson
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Michael Gbinije
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Zaire Wade
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Loudon Love
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Alan Griffin
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Lance Stephenson
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): LiAngelo Ball
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): TJ Haws
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): B.J. Taylor
- Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Scottie Lindsey
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Isaiah Ross
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Ruot Monyyong
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Marlon Stewart
- Stockton Kings (Kings): Joe Young
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Samir Doughty
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Chudier Bile
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Rodney Pryor
- Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Tim Bond
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Tyree White
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Montell McRae
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Cullen Russo
Round Two:
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Karim Mane
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Kalob Ledoux
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): Gerard Tarin
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): Barra Njie
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Tahj Eaddy
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Trevon Duval
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Gary Chivichyan
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Ryan Daly
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Keaton Wallace
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): Pedro Bradshaw
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): Alexis Wangmene
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Ian DuBose
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Mike Smith
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Jaire Grayer
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Blake Francis
- Cleveland Charge (Cavaliers): Jack Pagenkopf
- Lakeland Magic (Magic): Devonte Patterson
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Jordan Allen
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Devearl Ramsey
- Long Island Nets (Nets): Chris Walker
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Eric Demers
- Birmingham Squadron (Pelicans): Derrick Griffin
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): JaQuan Lyle
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Jachai Taylor
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Lydell Elmore
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Ikenna Ndugba
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Tevin King
- Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): Kammeon Holsey
Round Three:
- South Bay Lakers (Lakers): Elijah Cain
- College Park Skyhawks (Hawks): Landon Taliaferro
- Fort Wayne Mad Ants (Pacers): Will Vorhees
- Westchester Knicks (Knicks): Asante Gist
- Stockton Kings (Kings): Princepal Singh
- Grand Rapids Gold (Nuggets): Trevor John
- Raptors 905 (Raptors): Tristan Jarrett
- Motor City Cruise (Pistons): Devon Baulkman
- Wisconsin Herd (Bucks): Jaylen Bland
- Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz): J.C. Show
- Austin Spurs (Spurs): No pick
- Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies): No pick
- Sioux Falls Skyforce (Heat): Joel Ntambwe
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
- Texas Legends (Mavericks): Lamonte Bearden
- Stockton Kings (Kings): No pick
- Delaware Blue Coats (Sixers): No pick
- Maine Celtics (Celtics): Lindsey Drew
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Artur Labinowicz
- Long Island Nets (Nets): Jaylen Fisher
- Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario (Clippers): Randy Onwuasor
- Iowa Wolves (Timberwolves): Seth Allen
- Santa Cruz Warriors (Warriors): Jovan Mooring
- Capital City Go-Go (Wizards): Jermaine Haley
- Windy City Bulls (Bulls): Kerwin Roach
- Greensboro Swarm (Hornets): Isaiah Blackmon
- Oklahoma City Blue (Thunder): Marlon Taylor
- Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Rockets): Jimond Ivey
Teams will fill out their rosters with affiliate players, returning-rights players, tryout players, and players who are assigned to the G League from the NBA roster (including those on two-way contracts).
G League training camps open on Monday, with the Showcase Cup tournament tipping off on November 5.
Gerald Green Retires, Joins Rockets Coaching Staff
Veteran guard Gerald Green has retired from the NBA as a player and will be joining the Rockets as a player development coach, the team announced (Twitter link).
Green, who played 12 seasons in the NBA, worked out for the Rockets last month, but wasn’t picked up by the rebuilding team. He joined the Rockets for the 2020/21 preseason, but was waived before the season started due to cap constraints. He suffered a broken foot in October of 2019 and missed the entire 2019/20 season because of the injury. The last time he played in regular season games was in 2018/19, when he was a rotation player for the Rockets.
The 18th pick of the 2005 draft, Green played in 658 NBA games during his 12 seasons, holding career averages of 9.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 19.8 minutes per game, with a shooting slash line of .417/.361/.818.
Arguably his best individual season came in 2013/14 with Phoenix, when he played all 82 games (48 starts) and averaged 15.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 28.4 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .445/.400/.848.
The Houston native played for eight teams over the course of his career: the Celtics, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Nets, Pacers, Suns, Heat, and Rockets. He had two separate stints with both the Celtics and Rockets.
An amazing athlete, Green was one of the best dunkers the NBA has ever seen. He was the champion of the 2007 Slam Dunk Contest and runner-up in 2008. He also developed into a strong, albeit streaky, three-point shooter in the latter portion of his career, playing important minutes in Houston’s run to the Western Conference Finals in 2017/18.
NBA Preparing For Bombshell Report On Suns’ Sarver?
5:02pm: The Suns have issued a statement:
“We understand that an outlet is considering publishing a proposed story that makes completely baseless claims against the Suns Legacy Partners, LLC organization concerning a variety of topics. Documentary evidence in our possession and eyewitness accounts directly contradict the reporter’s accusations, and we are preparing our response to his questions. We urge everyone not to rush to judgment here. Especially based on lies, innuendo, and a false narrative to attack our organization and its leadership.”
The team has also put out a longer statement from Sarver himself. It reads as follows:
“I am wholly shocked by some of the allegations purported by ESPN about me, personally, or about the Phoenix Suns and Mercury organizations. While I can’t begin to know how to respond to some of the vague suggestions made by mostly anonymous voices, I can certainly tell you that some of the claims I find repugnant to my nature and to the character of the Suns/Mercury workplace and I can tell you they never, ever happened.
“First and foremost, I reject any insinuation of personal or organizational racism or gender discrimination. I despite language that disrespects any individuals, regardless of race, gender, preference, or choice. Such language has no place in business or at home in what I consider Suns and Mercury families. I am proud of our record of diversity and inclusion on both teams — whether on the court or in the front office.
“I don’t begin to know how to prove that something DIDN’T happen, and it is difficult to erase or forget ugly accusations once they are made. Even hints of racism or sexism in our culture today are toxic and damaging and should not be lightly raised. I categorically deny any and all suggestions that I used disparaging language related to race or gender. I would like to think that my actions and public record regarding race, gender, or discrimination of any kind, over a lifetime in business and community service, will adequately answer any questions anyone might raise about my commitment to equality and fairness.”
Additionally, Phoenix published a brief statement from general manager James Jones, who said the allegations don’t describe the “the Robert Sarver, I know, respect, and like.” In a longer statement, team president and CEO Jason Rowley took aim at the ESPN reporter working on the story, claiming he has “shown a reckless disregard for the truth” and that his tactics have been “without any basis in journalism ethics or even morality.”
Again, it’s worth noting that no report has been published yet, so it remains unclear what sort of specific accusations or incidents Sarver and the Suns are denying.
4:09pm: The NBA is preparing for a “massive story” accusing Suns owner Robert Sarver of racism, sexism, and sexual harassment, sources tell veteran reporter Jordan Schultz (Twitter link). According to Schultz, a “series of incidents” are expected to be described in the forthcoming story.
If there’s enough evidence to support those claims, there’s a real chance the NBA would wrest control of the Suns from Sarver, according to Schultz. The league took that approach when recordings surfaced in 2014 of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist comments, forcing Sterling to sell the team and banning him from the league for life.
It’s premature to speculate about whether the NBA will take the same path with Sarver, since we have no idea yet what the accusations will look like or how much evidence there will be to back them up. Until the full report Schultz alludes to is published, we’ll be in wait-and-see mode.
For what it’s worth, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM (Twitter link) hears that over 50 people were interviewed for the story, adding that Baxter Holmes of ESPN may be the reporter working on it.
Sarver became the majority owner of the Suns in 2004, when he purchased the franchise for a then-record $401MM. When Forbes released its annual NBA franchise valuations in February of this year, the outlet estimated that the Suns are worth $1.7 billion.
The Suns made it to the Western Conference Finals three times in Sarver’s first six years as the team’s owner, but experienced a lengthy playoff drought following that third Western Finals appearance in 2010. Phoenix finally ended its 10-year drought earlier this year when the club came within two wins of a title.
Simmons Tells Rivers, Sixers He’s Not Mentally Ready To Play
Sixers star Ben Simmons spoke today to head coach Doc Rivers, the team’s medical staffers, and his teammates, informing them he’s not mentally prepared to resume playing and needs more time, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links) and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Simmons reported to Philadelphia’s shootaround on Friday and “was seen engaged around the team,” per Charania, who says the 25-year-old expressed that he wants to play once he’s mentally ready to do so. Sources tell Wojnarowski that the next steps for Simmons will be based on the determination of medical professionals.
Prior to skipping a scheduled individual workout on Thursday, Simmons complained of back stiffness and briefly received treatment, but team doctors reportedly cleared him to participate in workouts. So it sounds like Woj’s note about Simmons being evaluated by medical professionals is more about the three-time All-Star’s mental health than his physical health. The team has offered Simmons whatever resources are necessary to assist him, sources tell ESPN.
The 76ers suspended Simmons for their regular-season opener on Wednesday after he showed little engagement in practices earlier in the week and failed to sub into a defensive drill during Tuesday’s practice.
However, Charania’s latest report suggests Simmons put a little more effort into today’s shootaround, which means Philadelphia will probably just make him inactive for Friday’s home opener rather than suspending him again. As long as he remains engaged in practices and is working in good faith toward rejoining the club for games, that could be the plan for the immediate future.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey made it clear during a radio appearance on Thursday that he’s not rushing to find a trade for Simmons and won’t move the former No. 1 pick unless the team gets a “difference-maker” in return. Morey expressed a hope that Simmons would participate in practices and games for the 76ers, noting that getting him back on the court would be better for the club’s title chances than trading him for 25 cents on the dollar.
According to Wojnarowski, Simmons has accumulated nearly $2MM in fines so far for missing games, practices, and meetings. There is a provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that protects players’ salaries in the event they’re unable to render services “if such failure has been caused by the player’s mental disability,” Woj notes.
Ishmail Wainright Signs Two-Way Deal With Suns
OCTOBER 22: Wainright has officially joined the Suns on a two-way deal, per the team (Twitter link).
OCTOBER 21: Ishmail Wainright is signing a two-way contract with the Suns, his agents Jim Tanner and Deirunas Visockas told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Wainright, 27, was in the Raptors’ training camp. Toronto waived him on Saturday. Wainwright had some partial guarantees on his minimum-salary contract with Toronto, as he’ll collect $250K from the Raptors this season and $125K in 2022/23.
Wainright, who went undrafted out of Baylor in 2017, played for a number of international leagues prior to this season. In 2020/21, he suited up for Strasbourg in France, registering 11.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 1.8 SPG on .485/.320/.726 shooting in 36 games (28.1 MPG). He’s considered a solid defender, and could carve out a niche role with the Suns.
With Wainright joining the defending conference champions, the Magic are the only team with an unfilled two-way spot. Chandler Hutchison holds Phoenix’s other two-way contract.
Kendrick Nunn To Miss Multiple Weeks With Bone Bruise
Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee and he’ll be out multiple weeks, coach Frank Vogel told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and other members after Thursday’s practice (Twitter link).
Nunn dealt with an ankle sprain in the same leg during training camp, though the club was hopeful he’d be back by opening night. He had an MRI on the knee after experiencing some soreness and it revealed the bruise. He’ll be re-evaluated in about two or three weeks, according to Vogel.
Nunn signed a two-year contract with Los Angeles after Miami pulled its qualifying offer to him, making him an unrestricted free agent in August. Nunn reportedly turned down more money from the Knicks and other suitors in order to join the Lakers. Nunn was projected to be Russell Westbrook‘s primary backup at the point, along with seeing some minutes at the shooting guard spot.
His absence will thrust veteran Rajon Rondo into the backup point guard role and newly-acquired Avery Bradley could also see action there. Wayne Ellington has been ruled out of Friday’s game against Phoenix with a hamstring injury, McMenamin adds.
Sixers’ Morey: Simmons Trade Could Take A While
Appearing today on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey made it clear he’s in no rush to trade Ben Simmons for less than what the Sixers believe he’s worth.
“People should buckle in, this is going to go a long time,” Morey said, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com (Twitter link).
Morey added that if the Sixers can trade Simmons for a “difference-maker,” they’ll do it, but confirmed the club has no interest in moving the three-time All-Star for role players. In Morey’s view, Philadelphia’s best chance to win a championship would be by either getting Simmons back on the court or waiting until an impact player hits the trade block.
“I would ask the question to Sixers fans: would you rather eliminate a distraction or have lower playoff odds?” Morey said, per Neubeck and Rich Hofmann of The Athletic (Twitter links). “I’m willing to go through mud, muck, barbed wire…we’ll go through whatever it takes…what we’re doing right now gives us the best chance to win the title.”
The standoff between Simmons and the Sixers has seemingly grown more uncomfortable this week. The 25-year-old reported to the team, but has resisted engaging physically or mentally in practices and was suspended for the season opener for conduct detrimental to the team. Reports today indicated that he will meet with team leadership on Friday to discuss his playing status after skipping a scheduled individual workout on Thursday.
While Simmons seems to have little interest in suiting up again for the 76ers after demanding a trade in the offseason, Morey’s comments on 97.5 The Fanatic today suggest the club won’t be pressured into making a deal sooner rather than later.
“You’re going to think I’m kidding, I’m not. This could take four years,” Morey said (Twitter link via Neubeck). “… We’re in the prime of Joel (Embiid)’s career…this is not a day-to-day (issue). Every day, we are going to expect Ben Simmons to be back here, or we trade him for a difference-maker.”
Multiple reports today indicated that Simmons complained of back stiffness and received minor treatment before being cleared by the team’s medical staff. That back tightness hadn’t been treated or mentioned as an issue before today, a source tells Neubeck.
If he has a legitimate injury, that would be a reason for Simmons to miss practices and games while still being paid. However, it sounds like the team doesn’t view Simmons’ back tightness as a serious issue. Multiple sources who spoke to PhillyVoice about Simmons’ suspension earlier this week were prepared for him to use a health-related explanation to avoid playing in Friday’s game, Neubeck says.
Ben Simmons Skips Individual Workout, Won’t Play Friday
3:25pm: Simmons is expected to come early to the 76ers’ shootaround on Friday to meet with team leadership to discuss his playing status, reports Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
2:08pm: Simmons told Sixers staff members he was experiencing back tightness on Thursday and briefly received treatment for it, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Being diagnosed with a legitimate injury would be one way for Simmons to avoid participating in practices and games while still being paid. However, the team’s medical staff cleared Simmons to participate in his scheduled workout today after he received treatment on his back, sources tell Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
According to Charania (Twitter link), Simmons won’t be available for Friday’s game and isn’t expected to play for an “undetermined amount of time.”
1:39pm: After being suspended for the Sixers‘ regular season opener on Wednesday, Ben Simmons showed up at the team’s practice facility on Thursday, but left without taking part in his scheduled individual workout, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
Simmons’ status for Friday’s game in Philadelphia vs. the Nets remains up in the air, but it seems unlikely that he’ll play in the 76ers’ home opener since he has yet to fully engage in a team practice, says Wojnarowski.
Simmons, who has pushed for a trade for months, ended his holdout and reported to the Sixers 10 days ago, then resumed practicing with the team over the weekend. However, he has reportedly not been physically or mentally engaged in those practices. On Tuesday, head coach Doc Rivers threw Simmons out of practice when the 25-year-old refused to sub in during a defensive drill. His one-game suspension was announced shortly thereafter.
Subsequent reporting from Shams Charania of The Athletic indicated that the Sixers don’t expect to find a trade they like for Simmons in the coming days, and want him to show up for – and engage in – practices and games. Sources tell Charania that the three-time All-Star isn’t against the idea of playing again for Philadelphia as he awaits a trade, but isn’t mentally prepared to do so yet.
The Sixers didn’t hold a practice today, but Simmons is scheduled to return to team activities on Friday, writes ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. It’s unclear if the team would continue to suspend him if he remains disengaged.
As Windhorst details, the rest of the Sixers were able to escape the Simmons drama for a few hours on Tuesday night when they gathered for a team dinner in New Orleans in an effort to clear the air.
“It’s good to just go out and kinda not talk about basketball and talk about life,” Joel Embiid said. “That’s also an evolution for me, because I usually, when I used to go on the road, I’d just like to stay in my room and be on the phone and play video games.”
The 76ers followed up that dinner with an impressive road victory on Wednesday over the Pelicans. They’ll face a stiffer challenge on Friday against Brooklyn.
Former Mavs Exec Voulgaris Discusses Tension With Nelson, Exit From Team
Appearing on the ESPN Daily podcast with Pablo Torre, former Mavericks executive Haralabos Voulgaris publicly addressed for the first time his exit from the franchise and reports of discord between him and longtime head of basketball operations Donnie Nelson, who also left the team this offseason.
A report from The Athletic in June stated that Voulgaris had either initiated or approved nearly all of the Mavs’ roster moves for the last two seasons and suggested his influence was virtually on par with Nelson’s. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who worked with Voulgaris in the past and brought him aboard in 2018 as the team’s director of quantitative research and development, disputed The Athletic’s portrayal of how much power the executive had. However, Voulgaris’ abrasive personality was reportedly a source of some tension in the front office and he was said to have a “strained” relationship with star guard Luka Doncic.
As Tim MacMahon of ESPN details, Voulgaris told Torre the Mavericks’ basketball operations department was a “very gossipy workplace” and likened the team’s dysfunction to “high school drama.” Although he denied some details from The Athletic’s report – including that he dictated lineups and rotations to then-coach Rick Carlisle – he didn’t challenge others.
Voulgaris told Torre that he came to believe Nelson “didn’t want me around,” adding that other people in the front office may have felt threatened by his close relationship with Cuban.
“I didn’t have a working relationship with other people in the front office at all, to the point where it was awkward,” Voulgaris said. “But that’s kind of the M.O. of the way that front office was run — like, surround yourself with people who are not threats. You don’t become an NBA general manager and hold on to your job for that long unless you are very, very good at keeping your job.
“… I think Mark had this idea that maybe we (Voulgaris and Nelson) could work together, the stuff that he’s good at I might be deficient at and vice versa,” Voulgaris continued. “(Nelson is) more of a, kind of like a wheeler-dealer, like when you shake his hands, you want to make sure your rings are still there. Not in a bad way, but he’s that guy. He’s a deal-maker. He’s a broker. My working relationship with Donnie Nelson was seeing him every once in a while and getting a fist bump. That was it. Whether it was a fist-bump text message or a fist bump in person, that was his thing. He was very nice and cordial to my face, (but) I think threatened by me.”
Voulgaris also confirmed The Athletic’s claim that his relationship with Doncic worsened after he left his courtside seat with the Mavericks down 10 points and under a minute left in a game in April. Doncic viewed it as a sign of Voulgaris quitting on the team, while the executive considered it a non-issue and was upset that others in the organization didn’t back him up at all.
“You have a great relationship with this player. Why are you not telling him that I didn’t quit on the team?” Voulgaris said, referring to one of the Mavs’ assistant coaches, possibly Jamahl Mosley. “I just went to my desk to look at something on my computer or got up because I normally get up. There are plenty of other instances of me getting up in the middle of the game. … It was such a non-event that I didn’t think it was a big deal, and the fact that it became a big deal led me to believe that this is just not worth it to me.”
Voulgaris wasn’t fired by the Mavs, and didn’t step down from his role either — his contract simply expired and the two sides didn’t work out a new deal. While the franchise may have been seeking a fresh start following the hiring of Nico Harrison to replace Nelson, Voulgaris made it clear that he also felt his time in Dallas had run its course.
“If I’m distracting that f—ing guy (Doncic), I don’t need to be around,” Voulgaris said. “Whatever the case may be, no matter how I see it, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. He is the fulcrum of the team. So I was like, ‘Cool.’ Plus, I was trying to find a way out of this job to begin with.”