Masai Ujiri Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Coach/GM Rumors: Hollins, Karl, Kings, Nuggets

June 7th, 2013 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

According to Sam Amick of USA Today, Lionel Hollins and the Grizzlies spoke yesterday, and the door hasn't closed entirely on the possibility of the head coach remaining in Memphis. However, Hollins has begun to explore his other options, talking by phone to a pair of Clippers executives yesterday and planning to fly to Los Angeles early next week, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). Here's the latest on the Grizzlies, the Clippers, and plenty of other teams in the market for a coach or GM:

While a reunion with Hollins or a promotion of assistant David Joerger remain possibilities for the Grizzlies, Memphis has emerged as the early frontrunner for George Karl, says Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
The Clippers have interest in both Hollins and Karl, but are prioritizing championship experience, a source tells Berger. Brian Shaw fits that bill, as both a player and an assistant coach, and is expected to formally interview with the Clippers on Monday, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
The Kings continue to pursue Larry Bird, although it would be a surprise if he was hired, a source tells Berger. If the Kings were able to land a big name like Bird – or perhaps Mike Dunleavy or Chris Mullin – it would be as team president, with the authority to hire a GM.
David Morway is interviewing today for the Kings' GM job, says Berger. It doesn't appear Sacramento will receive permission to speak to Nuggets assistant GM Pete D'Alessandro though, since Denver would like him to continue helping owner Josh Kroenke with the team's coaching search.
D'Alessandro also appears to be the favorite for the Nuggets' open GM job, with a source telling Berger that Denver may not even interview outside candidates.
Earlier today, Kroenke told reporters, including Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post (Twitter links), that Masai Ujiri would almost certainly have left Denver to accept the Raptors job even if the Nuggets had matched Toronto's offer.

Atlantic Notes: Ujiri, Raptors, Smith, Sixers

June 4th, 2013 at 9:47pm CST by Alex Lee

Here is what is going on in the Atlantic Division on Tuesday night:

With Masai Ujiri introduced in Toronto this morning, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports that the one thing made clear was that Ujiri is the main man in charge of basketball decisions for the Raptors right now.
Meanwhile, Mike Ganter, also from the Sun, writes that landing the NBA's Executive of the Year is a coup for the Raptors, and a sign that their ownership group is intent on shedding their mediocre label.
Ian Begley of ESPN New York provides a primer to the free agency of J.R. Smith, who earlier today we heard will decline his player option with the Knicks, but will likely re-sign with the team. Begley points out that Smith will have plenty of suitors, and spells out the ramifications of whether or not Smith re-ups in New York.
The Sixers will work out Kentucky's Archie Goodwin, Louisville's Peyton Siva and Temple's Scootie Randall, writes Nick Menta of CSN Philly. Since the Sixers pick No. 11, they could only be looking at this trio via trade in the first or with one of their two second round selections (No. 35 and No. 42).

Masai Ujiri Accepts Raptors GM Job

May 31st, 2013 at 7:27pm CST by Zachary Links

7:27pm: The Raptors officially announced Ujiri as their new GM. The team sent out a press release including comment from Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of the Raptors.

"We feel very lucky to have Masai in our organization. He is a proven judge of talent and we look for him to be a big part of creating a winning atmosphere, leading us to the playoffs and, ultimately, delivering NBA championships for Toronto," Leiweke said. "I would also like to publicly thank the Kroenkes in Denver for being such a class organization that they would allow Masai to pursue his dream. They put him first in all of our discussions."

The Nuggets also released statements from team president Josh Kroenke as well as Ujiri.

4:27pm: Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri has decided to accept the Raptors' GM job, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The well-respected exec received a five-year offer from Toronto earlier this week.

It's believed that Ujiri will earn $15MM over the course of the deal, good for a $3MM average annual value. Ujiri gave the Nuggets an opportunity to match the deal, but that apparently wasn't in the cards. His deal was set to expire at the end of June.

Ujiri is coming off a tremendous season in Denver as the Nuggets finished with their best regular season record in franchise history, excluding their ABA days. The GM was given the league's 2013 Executive of the Year award for his work.

The spot became open in Toronto earlier this month when the club decided to transition former GM Bryan Colangelo over to a business role. While there were bright spots for the club during Colagelo's tenure at the helm, they never quite met expectations during his seven year tenure at the helm.

Colangelo told Hoops Rumors in a conference call that he was willing to offer his advice in the club's search for his successor, but it's not clear if he was ever asked. The Raptors were linked to Kevin Pritchard and Troy Weaver as well, but reportedly had a strong preference for Ujiri.

Several Candidates Emerge For Nuggets GM Job

May 31st, 2013 at 6:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke's strong relationship with Masai Ujiri was the primary force behind the outgoing Denver GM's hesitation to accept Toronto's five-year, $15MM offer to jump to the Raptors front office, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets were willing to give Ujiri a deal worth $1.2MM a year, according to USA Today's Sam Amick. Still, none of it was enough to convince Ujiri to stay, and now the Nuggets are the team looking for a new GM. There's early talk about several who could eventually get the job, as we detail below:

Nuggets assistant GM Pete D'Alessandro and director of player personnel Mike Bratz are viable options, sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski speculates that the Nuggets could promote D'Alessandro or go after Cavaliers assistant GM David Griffin. The Nuggets offered Griffin the job in 2010, but he turned them down, leading Denver to turn to Ujiri.
Other executives who figure to be top candidates include Gersson Rosas of the Rockets, Bobby Marks of the Nets, Tim Connelly of the Pelicans, Wes Wilcox of the Hawks and Scott Perry of the Magic, according to Wojnarowski.
The Nuggets could have some competition if they want to go with D'Alessandro, since Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace, the leading candidate to take the GM job in Sacramento, would like to hire him to work in the Kings front office, Amick reports (Twitter link).
Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk interviewed well with the Kings, Amick tweets, arguing that Schlenk could be a fit in Denver if it doesn't work out for him in Sacramento.
Assistant GMs Tommy Sheppard of the Wizards and Jeff Weltman of the Bucks have ties to the Nuggets and bear watching as the Nuggets' search takes place, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Raptors Offer Five-Year Deal To Masai Ujiri

May 29th, 2013 at 8:59pm CST by Michael Pina

The Raptors have extended a contract offer to Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri, reports ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. The deal is for five years, $15MM (nearly $3MM annually), and it's a certainty that the Nuggets won't be able to match the offer, according to Broussard's sources.

Ujiri met with Toronto over the past weekend, and his current contract with Denver is set to expire on June 30. Ujiri is coming off a season in which he constructed a roster that finished as the best regular season Nuggets team in franchise history (since they joined the NBA), and for his efforts he won the league's 2013 Executive of the Year award.

Odds & Ends: Ujiri, Oladipo, Dooling, Grizzlies

May 28th, 2013 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier in the day, we heard that a decision from Masai Ujiri on whether he'll be running the Raptors or Nuggets could come as early as today. But according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), Ujiri won't decide whether or not to accept the Raptors' offer until he meets with Denver ownership. That meeting could happen today or tomorrow, says Berger, so we may be waiting one more day to get closure on the Ujiri saga. In the meantime, let's round up a few odds and ends from across the NBA:

While Nerlens Noel remains atop the latest version of Chad Ford's big board at ESPN.com (Insider link), there's a new name at No. 2, with Victor Oladipo on the rise in a big way.
In an interesting piece for Grantland.com, Zach Lowe revisits the 2011 trade that sent George Hill to the Pacers and Kawhi Leonard to the Spurs, exploring how negotiations played out on draft night two years ago, and outlining how it's turned into a great deal for both teams.
Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic lauds Phoenix's hiring of Jeff Hornacek, writing that the former Suns guard has what it takes to become a very good head coach.
After announcing his retirement last year, Keyon Dooling returned to sign with the Grizzlies toward the end of the 2012/13 season, and he intends to play again next season, tweets Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com.
The Grizzlies are facing major decisions on a coach and a GM in addition to a handful of players, as Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld details.
No decisions have been made on Paul Pierce's future yet, Celtics GM Danny Ainge tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, which echoes a report we passed along earlier.
Dave Deckard of Blazer's Edge examines the possibility of the Trail Blazers trading out of next month's draft.
As Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside writes, the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the D-League are hoping to enter a hybrid affiliation with a single NBA team.

Atlantic Notes: Pierce, Ujiri, Raptors, Ward

May 28th, 2013 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

A recent News-Herald report suggested the Celtics are "likely" to buy out Paul Pierce before his contract becomes guaranteed on July 1st, but Rich Levine of CSNNE.com isn't so sure that's the case. According to Levine, a C's source "laughed off" that report — not because the idea of buying out Pierce is outlandish, but because the idea Boston is "likely" to do anything isn't accurate at this point. With over a month to make a decision on Pierce, the Celtics figure to continue exploring all their options before making a move.

Here's more on Pierce and the rest of the Atlantic Division:

Three NBA executives who spoke to Sam Amico told the FOX Sports Ohio scribe that buying out Pierce would be a no-brainer if they were running the Celtics (Twitter link).
The Raptors and Nuggets may have closure as soon as today on Masai Ujiri, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Kyler says the Raptors are "all-in" for Ujiri, but adds that both Toronto and Denver have started kicking the tires on possible alternatives. Ujiri is currently weighing offers from both teams, though the Nuggets' counter-offer is not believed to be as competitive financially as the Raptors', tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Canadian shooting guard Warren Ward won't be draft-eligible next month, but as a free agent, he's drawing interest from a few NBA teams, including the Raptors, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Kennedy also identifies the Pacers, Magic, and Hawks as other clubs with potential interest in Ward.
As we heard this morning, the Nets are expected to request permission to speak to Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, perhaps as soon as today.

Masai Ujiri Weighing Offers From Raptors, Nuggets

May 27th, 2013 at 11:09am CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 11:09am: League sources tell Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca that it's still not clear whether Ujiri is leaning toward accepting the Raptors' offer. According to Grange, the Nuggets have made a "determined offer" to try to keep their GM, and Ujiri is weighing his options.

The Raptors, who Grange says have offered Ujiri a four-year deal worth about $9MM, remain optimistic that they'll get their man.

SUNDAY, 8:41am: Ujiri would stay with the Nuggets if they matched the offer from the Raptors, according to HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler, who believes Denver will step up with the money necessary to keep him (Twitter links).

SATURDAY, 1:07pm: Nuggets team president Josh Kroenke believed he and Ujiri had an agreement in principle on a multiyear, multimillion dollar deal before the Raptors position opened up, reports Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.

"In my mind, we had an agreement but it doesn't matter because I would never hold someone back from an opportunity they might be curious about," Kroenke said. "Especially someone I hold in such high regard as Masai. If it was any other team, I wouldn't even have thought about granting permission to speak to him. But it's his former team and its not entirely a black-and-white situation. He'll make the decision he thinks is best for himself, and I'll support him no matter what."

FRIDAY, 10:02pm: The Raptors have offered Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri a multiyear contract that will double, or perhaps triple, the best offer Denver has made, and it appears likely the executive will jump to Toronto, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Ujiri will take the next couple of days to consider the move, but there's "significant momentum" behind his negotiations with the Raptors, Wojnarowski writes.

A source tells Wojnarowski that Nuggets brass appears to be moving on, and it looks like the team's principal owners, the Kroenke family, aren't motivated to increase their offer to Ujiri, who reportedly made just $500K this past season as one of the league's lowest-paid executives. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported this week that early estimates suggested the Raptors would offer Ujiri a salary of more than $2MM. That number appears to have grown close to $3MM, as Wojnarowski reported earlier today.

Ujiri served as assistant GM in Toronto under the recently reassigned Bryan Colangelo before taking over Denver's front office in the summer of 2010. Since that time, Ujiri completely revamped the Nuggets, trading Carmelo Anthony for a bounty widely lauded as the best return for a superstar in recent memory. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun notes how Ujiri's skills as a talent evaluator and trade negotiator fit Raptors CEO Tim Leiweke's description of the ideal man for Toronto's GM job. The 42-year-old recipient of this year's Executive of the Year award has received overtures from other teams in the past, notably the Sixers last summer, but hasn't been close to leaving the Nuggets until now.

Ujiri's contract with the Nuggets expires June 30th. Raptors officials met with Ujiri today, and the two sides seemed to hit it off, expediting movement toward a deal. If Ujiri were to turn the Raptors down, the team appears to have interest in pairing Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard with Thunder assistant GM Troy Weaver.

Atlantic Rumors: Amare, Williams, Celtics, Raptors

May 25th, 2013 at 2:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Amare Stoudemire will be working with Hakeem Olajuwon for a second consecutive summer, and despite his lack of contribution this past season, the Knicks still have high regard for their most lavishly paid player, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com passes along. GM Glen Grunwald called Stoudemire "a heck of a player."

"We hope he'll be able to play significant minutes for us next year," Grunwald said. "How much that will be, we don't know at this time. But when he came and played for us … he was, as (coach Mike Woodson) said, a big factor in those games."

While we wait to see how Stoudemire bounces back next year, here's the latest from around the Atlantic Division:

Terrence Williams, whose contract for next season is non-guaranteed, addressed reporters today after working out at the Celtics facility. He said that, in spite of his recent legal troubles, Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers still view him as part of the team's future, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com notes.
The Celtics have worked out a dozen players in the past two days, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com and Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe round up (Twitter links). On Friday the team saw Colton Iverson, Erick Green, Jeff Withey, Peyton Siva, Vander Blue and Ricky Ledo, and today the C's looked at Pierre Jackson, Gregory Echenique, Myck Kabongo, Shane Larkin, Phil Pressey and Steven Adams.
Masai Ujiri appears destined to become the next GM of the Raptors, and Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun hears Ujiri and Phil Jackson are the only two candidates the team has aggressively pursued so far (All Twitter links). The Raptors have been linked to Kevin Pritchard and Troy Weaver as well, but they seem to have a strong preference for Ujiri.
Ben Goldberg-Morse of the Philadelphia Inquirer lays out how new Sixers GM Sam Hinkie's emphasis on analytics could improve the production of Jrue Holiday, who received a long-term extension last summer, and Evan Turner, who's up for one this offseason.

Masai Ujiri To Meet With Raptors Today

May 24th, 2013 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

12:14pm: Raptors officials are meeting with Ujiri in Colorado today, according to Wojnarowski, who says (via Twitter) things are "moving fast" now.

11:22am: The Nuggets have granted the Raptors permission to speak to NBA Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri, and a meeting between Ujiri and the Raptors is expected to take place within the next 24 hours, reports Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo! Sports. Ujiri is reportedly the preferred candidate for Toronto as the team searches for a head of basketball operations.

According to Wojnarowski, the Raptors intend to make Ujiri an offer that would pay him nearly $3MM annually. Ujiri, whose contract expires next month, is prepared to leave Denver for the chance to run the Raptors unless the Nuggets respond with a competitive offer. As Wojnarowski notes, the Nuggets have historically been reluctant to pay big money to general managers, so there's a belief they won't match the commitment the Raptors are prepared to make to Ujiri.

If Ujiri and the Raptors don't reach an agreement, Toronto's next target may be Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard, who was previously cited as a candidate by the Toronto Star's Doug Smith. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports that the Raptors have requested permission to speak to Pritchard, though the Pacers prefer to wait until the playoffs to allow a meeting.

According to Berger, Tim Leiweke and the Raptors are intrigued by the possibility of pairing Pritchard with Thunder assistant GM Troy Weaver. However, the Thunder may not allow Weaver to interview for what would be a lateral move, and it still appears Ujiri is the Raptors' first priority anyway.

Former Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo remains in the organization as team president, but won't be as involved in basketball decisions. Whoever the Raptors hire as their new GM will have full control over the club's basketball operations.