Bobby Webster Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Raptors’ Search For New Head Of Basketball Ops

July 26th, 2025 at 12:02pm CST by Rory Maher

General manager Bobby Webster is running the Raptors‘ front office for now following the abrupt dismissal of Masai Ujiri at the end of June.

According to Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca, Webster is interested in becoming Toronto’s new head of basketball operations on a permanent basis and seems to be the frontrunner to land the position, but there are a number of other candidates to monitor as well.

A source tells Grange that most of the names that have come up in the search process are “lower-tier executives” who would make sense as complementary additions working under Webster.

However, there are some veteran executives who appear to be in the mix, including Brampton native Marc Eversley, who is currently GM of the Bulls. As Grange writes, Eversley is a board member of Canada Basketball, was previously an assistant GM in Toronto, and has a solid relationship with Webster.

Pacers GM Chad Buchanan is another name on the Raptors’ radar, Grange reports.

According to Grange, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Keith Pelley has met with both Dwane Casey and Monte McNair about the position.

Casey is the Raptors’ former head coach and is currently an executive with the Pistons, while McNair was Sacramento’s GM for five years prior to parting ways with the organization after the 2024/25 season.

One league insider who spoke to Grange suggested that Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard is MLSE’s top choice for the job, though Grange points out that lateral moves for executives under contract with other teams are difficult to pull off.

As for Ujiri, Grange says he would be “very surprised” if Toronto’s longtime former president accepted another NBA job for the upcoming season. In the future, Ujiri could be a candidate to lead an expansion team or run the NBA’s proposed European league, Grange writes.

That said, Ujiri will certainly be linked to any top executive roles that pop up in the coming months, according to Grange, who has heard speculation that the Heat could be a team to monitor, as Pat Riley recently turned 80 years old.

Raptors Notes: Poeltl, Webster, Ujiri, Ingram

July 16th, 2025 at 10:25pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Newly extended Raptors center Jakob Poeltl will serve as an integral frontcourt piece for Toronto this year, in part because the team is light at the center position beyond the 29-year-old, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

Earlier this summer, Poeltl inked a new four-year, $104MM deal that will keep him under contract through 2029/30. In 57 healthy games for Toronto last season, the seven-footer out of Utah averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 steals per contest.

Grange notes that free agent addition Sandro Mamukelashvili could add jump shooting and face-up scoring in spot minutes, but suggest that Poeltl being an established commodity means he will be heavily leaned upon.

No. 57 pick Ulrich Chomche may be raw, but Grange observes that the 19-year-old has shown some potential already in Summer League.

The Raptors, meanwhile, made a big front office move this summer when they parted ways with longtime team president Masai Ujiri. The move happened while Poeltl was in the midst of contract negotiations on his extension.

“Obviously that was an extra conversation there, like, ‘Hey, does this change anything, what’s going on, what’s the deal with our future?’” Poeltl said. “But honestly, at the end of the day, it didn’t change much.”

Here’s more on the Raptors:

According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, Toronto’s search for its new president — and a promise from the club’s new ownership group to continue making changes — has left people within the organization uneasy. “Everybody is scared,” a source told Lewenberg. “The closer you are to the top, the more you feel it.”
Lewenberg proceeds to make the case for Ujiri’s longtime second-in-command, general manager Bobby Webster, to become his permanent replacement. However, he says the Raptors’ ownership group (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment) enlisted the services of search firm CAA Executive Search, who submitted a list of recommended targets to the MLSE board last week.
What the team’s next personnel moves will be remain unclear. Several sources have described Ujiri as the “driving force” behind Toronto’s trade for former All-Star forward Brandon Ingram, per Lewenberg. Whether Ingram would remain a core part of the retooled roster under a new regime remains uncertain.
Lewenberg notes that the team could also potentially keep Webster in his current position, handling basketball operations, before making a long-term commitment to him.

Raptors Notes: Ujiri, Webster, Murray-Boyles, Martin

June 27th, 2025 at 10:34pm CST by Eli Cohen

The timing of the Raptors‘ announcement that they’re parting ways with president Masai Ujiri was met with some confusion on Friday morning, but according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet, that decision was mutually made between the two parties.

As Grange relays (via Twitter), Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Keith Pelley told reporters on Friday that he met with Ujiri a month ago and the two came to an agreement that any change in leadership would happen after the draft, so as not to disrupt the draft evaluation process.

Ujiri spearheaded the Raptors for 12 years, including making the trades for Kawhi Leonard and Marc Gasol that helped turn the team into the 2019 NBA champions. He leaves the Raptors with a win-loss record of 545-419.

Pelley also confirmed that general manager Bobby Webster will interview for the newly vacant president position, per Grange (via Twitter). However, Pelley emphasized the importance of an exhaustive, wide-ranging search, telling reporters, “The president of an NBA franchise is always a big deal.”

Webster and assistant general manager Dan Tolzman are among the Raptors executives who recently received contract extensions that weren’t announced until today, notes Marc Stein of the Stein Line (Substack link). Stein adds that the high salaries that Ujiri and former Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan were earning are believed to have factored “strongly” into MLSE’s decision to let go of both execs in recent weeks.

We have more news from the Raptors:

Ujiri served not only as a team-builder in Toronto but also as an energetic figurehead for the fan base and players alike, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, who says Friday’s move opens the team to questions about how much of the change was motivated by changes in power structures at the ownership group MLSE. Koreen points to Edward Rogers, who became the most powerful person at MLSE last year, and his fractious relationship with Ujiri as a key factor. During his Friday media session, Pelley refuted the idea that the team will necessarily suffer from Ujiri’s departure. “When you create a brand, when you create a culture, if it is mitigated when that individual is no longer involved, then the culture and the brand has not been created in the right way,” he said. “And I believe that the way that (Ujiri) has built the brand and the way that he has created the culture is something that we as an organization at MLSE cherish and need now to build upon, and that will be something critical for the next president coming in.”
After taking Collin Murray-Boyles at No. 9 on Wednesday, the Raptors are setting themselves up for further roster changes, Koreen opines. While Murray-Boyles is a very talented player, Koreen writes that it’s hard to overlook his size and/or skill-set overlap with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, and Jonathan Mogbo. Webster confirmed that he doesn’t necessarily see this roster as a final product, saying, “I think we’re not so worried about position as we try to find these players. Obviously teams change a lot, and you can trade, there’s a lot of different movement there.” It’s important, per Webster, that players like Murray-Boyles and Barnes have high basketball IQs, which can mitigate some of the warts that could arise when they play together.
Josh Lewenberg of TSN suggests that the Raptors played it safe with the Murray-Boyles selection, opting for a player with a stable floor of defense and passing, rather than taking a bigger swing on higher-variance prospects, such as Khaman Maluach or Noa Essengue. However, Lewenberg adds that Murray-Boyles fits the tough-as-nails identity that helped propel a team like the Thunder to the championship. “The intensity ratchets up and defence is so much more important, which is why I think [coach Darko Rajakovic] and our coaching staff preach that so much, knowing that someday we’re hoping to be in that situation,” Tolzman said. “Those are the types of guys we’re looking for.”
That exact mindset is what led the Raptors to second-round pick Alijah Martin, writes Grange, who says that by choosing Martin at 39, Toronto doubled down on gritty, physical defense. “He’s got a lot of room for growth still. One of those guys, get him in our program and see what he can do. He’s going to fight for everything he can get,” Tolzman said of Martin.
Grange notes that Martin averaged 1.3 steals per game over four years as a starter and helped lead Florida to the NCAA championship this season. Martin, for his part, described himself as the ultimate role player. “As a defender, you gotta lay your body on the line. My best attribute defensively is my ability to match your body up, being able to stay mentally poised,” he said.

Raptors Part Ways With Team President Masai Ujiri

June 27th, 2025 at 9:05am CST by Rory Maher

9:05 am: The Raptors have put out a press release officially confirming that they’ve parted ways with Ujiri.

“During his 13 seasons with the Raptors, Masai has helped transform the organization on the court and has been an inspirational leader off it,” MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley said in a statement. “He brought an NBA Championship to Toronto and urged us to believe in this city, and ourselves. We are grateful for all he has done and wish him and his family the very best. As we plan for the franchise’s future, and its return to the NBA Playoffs, a search for the successor as president of the Raptors, led by CAA Executive Search, will begin immediately.”

According to the announcement, the Raptors’ other top executives, including Webster, remain in place and have received contract extensions.

“We are confident that the Raptors organization, under the guidance of Bobby and his team, is in a great place,” Pelley continued. “They have a plan in place for next season and beyond as the team continues its rebuild, and we have confidence in their ability to execute and ultimately, to excel. We feel the team is in a strong, stable place, and we believe the addition of a new president will continue to move the Raptors forward, towards our next NBA championship.”

8:11 am: Longtime Raptors president and vice chairman Masai Ujiri is leaving the franchise, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links), who reports that the two sides have decided to part ways with Ujiri entering the final year of his contract.

There were some warning sides that Ujiri and the Raptors might be headed toward a split at some point, but it’s a little surprising that it’s happening right before free agency begins next week and the morning after the two-day NBA draft, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link).

Last fall, Rogers Communications bought out BCE (Bell)’s stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of the Raptors. Previously, Rogers and Bell had each owned 37.5% of the company, but that deal gave Rogers majority control.

Reporting in the wake of that move noted that Ujiri and Rogers chairman Edward Rogers III have had a “strained relationship” in the past. The Rogers chairman reportedly opposed the terms of the contract extension that Ujiri signed with the club in 2021.

According to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), rival teams have speculated for months that the ownership change might eventually lead to Ujiri exiting the franchise. Some rival executives had described Ujiri as “hard to deal with,” citing his ego, according to Lewenberg (Twitter link). The 54-year-old is reportedly making $15MM per year, Begley adds.

Marc Stein reported in May that the Hawks were interested in having Toronto’s longtime president of basketball operations run their front office. It’s unclear if he actually interviewed, but the fact that Ujiri was cited as a potential candidate was certainly noteworthy.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Raptors have largely struggled over the past half-decade, missing the playoffs in four out of the past five years. Ujiri acknowledged the team was in rebuilding mode last fall, but after going 30-52 in 2024/25 and making a major trade for Brandon Ingram in February, he said in April he was determined to bring Toronto another championship.

After starting his career as a scout, Ujiri worked his way up to assistant general manager with the Raptors in 2008 before leaving to become the GM in Denver in 2010. He was named Executive of the Year with the Nuggets in 2013, then returned to Toronto as executive vice president.

Ujiri bolstered his reputation as one of the NBA’s top executives when he built the Raptors team that captured the franchise’s first-ever NBA title in 2019. Toronto won between 51 and 59 games each season from 2015/16 through 2019/20, advancing to at least the semifinals of the Eastern Conference in each of those five years. The final piece of the puzzle was a bold move to trade for San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard, who was entering the final year of his contract and only spent one season in Toronto.

Ujiri was promoted to president and vice chairman in 2021, with Bobby Webster, Toronto’s general manger since 2017, having focused more on running the team’s day-to-day operations in recent years. Webster will likely lead the basketball operations department for now.

As for Ujiri’s next move, it’s unclear whether or not he’ll seek a new position with an NBA franchise in the short term. Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link) notes that an executive from another team told him Ujiri has aspirations beyond running a team, including focusing on charity and political work.

Raptors Notes: Rajakovic, Lillard, Siakam, VanVleet

October 3rd, 2023 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

The arrival of new Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic looks like a reason for optimism in Toronto, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca, who says that Rajakovic is bringing a “people-first” approach to his new role and appears to be connecting quickly with his players.

Scottie Barnes said on Monday that he loves the “energy” and “joy” Rajakovic brings to the job, while Gary Trent Jr. told reporters that the coach’s communication has been “great,” noting that Rajakovic is interested in talking to his players about topics beyond basketball.

“I’ve been in the NBA six years and I’ve had more conversations with him (outside of basketball) than with any coach I’ve ever had,” Trent said, per Lewenberg. “It’s been refreshing.”

The start of Rajakovic’s first NBA head coaching job has been marred to some extent by a lawsuit filed by the Knicks which claims that a former Knick employee shared proprietary information with Rajokovic and the Raptors after being hired by the franchise. The Raptors, who issued a statement in August disputing the claims in the suit, downplayed the case again on Monday, as William Lou of Sportsnet.ca writes.

“I know who I am. I know how my parents raised me. I know what I see in the mirror,” Rajakovic said in maintaining his innocence. “I cannot wait for this lawsuit to be over so everyone can see the truth.”

Here’s more out of Toronto:

Speaking to Danielle Michaud of Sportsnet, Raptors general manager Bobby Webster confirmed that the team’s interest in Damian Lillard was real. “You’d have to ask (the Trail Blazers),” Webster said when asked how close Toronto got to landing Lillard. “We were very aggressive. I’d say probably the biggest offer we’ve ever made for a player, but it’s up to them to accept it and so I think that’s, you know, you kind of never know what tilted a deal towards you or not. But maybe time will tell, we’ll find out.”
Pascal Siakam pushed back against any implication that he might have been one of the Raptors who played selfishly last season, as Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca relays. “I’ll speak for me, personally, I’ve never been a selfish player in my life,” Siakam said. “I’ve always played the game the right way and that’s from the first time I started playing basketball. I’ve always been a team player. All the things that I do on the basketball court is about the team and I’ve been like that my whole career.”
The free agency departure of veteran point guard Fred VanVleet was one of the topics Raptors president Masai Ujiri addressed on Monday, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “Could we have traded Fred at the trade deadline? If that was a failure, we take responsibility for it,” Ujiri said. “Sometimes it depends on opportunity and respect (for) the player. We respected Fred. Fred decided to go somewhere, to better opportunities. It was good for him. Maybe it was good for us, too.”
The Raptors are one of five teams that John Hollinger of The Athletic is confident will beat their consensus over/under (36.5 wins) this season. While Hollinger acknowledges that going to VanVleet to Dennis Schröder is a downgrade at point guard, he notes that Toronto won 41 games in a down year last season, played better after acquiring Jakob Poeltl, and will have incentive to be as good as possible, since San Antonio owns the Raptors’ top-six protected 2024 first-round pick.

Former Warriors Exec Bob Myers Likely To Get Job Offers

July 29th, 2023 at 9:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bob Myers indicated that he wanted some time away from the game when he stepped down as president of basketball operations and general manager of the Warriors, but fans should expect to hear his name mentioned in connection to any openings that arise in the next few months, writes Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

The most obvious team for Myers, according to Fischer, is the Clippers because of his longtime association with team consultant Jerry West and the working relationship they developed during their time together with Golden State. Myers spent more than a decade with the Warriors and helped to win four championships, so Fischer believes he’ll be among the first names that any team will call if it decides to shake up its front office.

Fischer identifies a few other former general managers who may be in line for a second chance, including ex-Utah GM Dennis Lindsey, who is currently working in the Mavericks‘ front office, Kings assistant GM Wes Wilcox, who has rebuilt his reputation after his experience in Atlanta, and former Orlando GM Rob Hennigan, who is VP of basketball operations with the Thunder.

Fischer passes along more information about rising stars in NBA front offices:

Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon was among the candidates to become the Wizards’ president of basketball operations and he’ll likely be considered for similar jobs in the future, Fischer writes. Raptors GM Bobby Webster, Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey and new Clippers GM Trent Redden all appear headed for team president roles someday, Fischer adds.
Jeff Peterson, the Nets‘ assistant GM, is considered one of the league’s best young executives, according to Fischer. Peterson interviewed for the Pistons’ GM slot in 2020, and Fischer hears that he’s viewed as one of the favorites to take over the Hornets if they decide to replace Mitch Kupchak, who’s in the final year of his contract. Pelicans assistant GM Bryson Graham could be first in line to replace Langdon if he leaves, but league sources tell Fischer that he might get an opportunity with another team before that happens.
Tayshaun Prince is a valuable member of the Grizzlies‘ front office and has received overtures about running other teams, according to Fischer. Among other former NBA players, Jameer Nelson has built a strong reputation in the Sixers‘ front office for his work with their G League affiliate, and Acie Law appears headed for a promotion with the Thunder after Will Dawkins was hired by the Wizards.
Fischer identifies CAA’s Austin Brown as an agent who might move into a front office role, noting that he was a candidate to run the Bulls in 2020. Fischer also singles out agents Jason Glushon and Todd Ramasar, along with Kirk Berger, a legal counsel with the players’ union.

Raptors’ Ownership Group Fought Over Masai Ujiri Extension

October 25th, 2021 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Raptors Notes: Tampa, Tanking, Ibaka, Ujiri

May 8th, 2021 at 6:22pm CST by Arthur Hill

Some Raptors players and staff members are eager to see their one-season experiment in Tampa come to an end, sources tell Josh Lewenberg of TSN.

The Florida city served as a temporary home as restrictions on traveling to Canada due to COVID-19 made it impossible for the team to play at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Crowd sizes in Tampa have been limited, and the Raptors have suffered through a forgettable season that featured a virus outbreak, a 1-13 stretch in March and virtually no chance to qualify for a play-in game heading into the season’s final week.

Toronto’s front office and coaching staff have shown for some time that they intended to prioritize player development and evaluation over a chance to sneak into postseason, Lewenberg states. That’s why it wasn’t surprising to see Kyle Lowry and OG Anunoby held out of a crucial match-up with the Wizards on Thursday.

Lewenberg traces the disappointing year back to an offseason decision to prioritize financial flexibility over keeping big men Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol. The remaining frontcourt players weren’t able to match their production, which reduced the team’s chances to compete.

There’s more on the Raptors:

Even after the slide began, the team had too much talent on hand to make tanking a realistic option, Lewenberg contends in the same piece. There’s no reason to shut down productive young players like Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet or Anunoby, while sitting out Lowry after failing to trade him at the deadline wouldn’t have put the Raptors in position to get a top pick.
The unwillingness to give Ibaka a two-year contract played a significant role in sinking Toronto’s season, argues Dave Feschuk of The Toronto Star. The front office had an eye on the salary cap when it made a one-year offer to Ibaka, a move that Feschuk says shocked many Raptors players. Ibaka wound up going to the Clippers for $19MM over two years, while Toronto replaced him with Aron Baynes on a two-year, $14MM deal (with a non-guaranteed second year).
Michael Grange of Sportsnet calls on team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster to address the fanbase about the organization’s medium- and long-term goals. Grange notes that the Raptors have been making conflicting moves this season, with some designed to win now and others focused on the future. Coach Nick Nurse has been left to explain how the team fell from an NBA title to out of the playoffs in two seasons.

Protocols Force Raptors Coaches To Work Remotely

February 26th, 2021 at 1:16pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Raptors head coach Nick Nurse and five other members of the team’s coaching staff will not be on the bench indefinitely due to the league’s health and safety protocols, according to a team press release.

Toronto plays its next three games at its temporary home in Tampa, beginning with a matchup against Houston on Friday. The Raptors also have home games with Chicago (Sunday) and Detroit (Tuesday) and a road trip to Boston (Thursday) prior to the All-Star break.

It’s unclear who will be running the team from the sidelines before those staff members clear protocols. The Raptors have six assistant coaches, along with other staff members in a variety of roles. Chris Finch was hired as the Timberwolves’ head coach on Monday.

The coaches under quarantine will continue to work remotely, and details on their return will be communicated when appropriate, according to the release. GM Bobby Webster will address the media later this afternoon.

Raptors Sign GM Bobby Webster To Multiyear Extension

February 4th, 2021 at 12:31pm CST by JD Shaw

The Raptors have signed general manager Bobby Webster to a multiyear contract extension, the team announced in a press release today. The exact terms of the agreement weren’t made available.

Webster, who was named general manager in June of 2017, is currently in his eighth season with the organization. He initially joined the team in 2013 as vice president of basketball management and strategy, working his way through the franchise and later becoming assistant GM in 2016.

“I think everyone knows what Bobby brings to our organization: intelligence, poise, and creativity,” president Masai Ujiri said in a statement. “I’m very pleased that our team will continue to benefit from his many skills for seasons to come.”

Webster was one of the main architects behind the 2019 champion Raptors team, bringing an array of experience and expertise to the table. He spent the first seven seasons of his NBA career in the league office.

“It’s great to be able to continue the work of building the next Raptor championship team – a goal which is part of our organizational DNA,” Webster said. “I’m grateful to Larry Tanenbaum, MLSE ownership and leadership, our great players and staff, and the people of Toronto for making this my home for the past years, and for the future.”

The Raptors will have to address another front-office matter in the near future, as Ujiri, the team’s longtime president, is currently in the final year of his contract.