Atlanta Hawks Have Reportedly Shown Interest In Trying To Hire Away Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri
The Atlanta Hawks have been in search of a new president of basketball operations and all reports have suggested that Atlanta is aiming to hire a top, experienced executive to its front office. There are not many executives around the league that are more experienced and respected than Toronto Raptors vice chairman and team president Masai Ujiri and according to NBA insider Marc Stein, Atlanta has expressed interest in trying to hire Ujiri away from Toronto.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 15, 2025
Now this would be a big hire if it comes to pass, but for now, all it says is that the Hawks have shown interest in hiring Ujiri. This will be something worth tracking and if the Hawks can lure him away from Toronto, it would be a massive move for the franchise.
While the Raptors have not had much success over the past couple of seasons, Ujiri has been one of the top executives in the league, dating back to his time with the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets won 57 games in 2013 and Ujiri was named the 2013 NBA Executive of the Year. He left to become the executive vice president and general manager of the Raptors after the 2013 season and from there, Ujiri built one of the best teams in the NBA.
His most famous move of course was trading DeMar DeRozan, Danny Green, and a 1st round pick to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Leonard. It was a big gamble for Ujiri, but it paid off with the Raptors winning the championship in 2019, with Leonard winning Finals MVP. Leonard left for the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason, but Ujiri was able to bring a title to Toronto. Since then, the Raptors have not been the same, but they have talented players such as Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl.
Would Ujiri leave for Atlanta? It seems like a bit of a longshot. Ujiri has deep ties to Toronto and there have been no indications that he is ready to leave. I have no doubt the Hawks have interest in one of the league's most respected executives, but whether the feeling is mutal is something else entirely.
This is the first update from Stein in a few days about the Hawks current opening.
In his last report, Stein reported that Hawks owner Tony Ressler has shown a significant interest in pursuing established agents to take over Atlanta’s front office. Hawks have pursued former Warriors GM Bob Myers but have told interested teams that he intends to be extremely selective about whether he returns to a front-office role. Danny Ferry has formally interviewed for Atlanta's president of basketball operations vacancy (he’s currently a consultant for the Spurs since December 2020).
It has always seemed that Myers was a longshot to take the position and this report does nothing to refute that. WSB TV reported Zach Klein reported on Ferry's candidacy last week and it is notable that he has formally interviewed for the job now.
Myers stepped down from as the Warriors GM and president of basketball operations in May 2023 and has been working as a studio analyst for ESPN since. Would be interested in coming to help run the Hawks? It is possible, but Atlanta would have to make a lucrative offer for his services. His familiarity with Onsi Saleh could be helpful if the Hawks decide to pursue Myers. There is a long way to go in this search and keep an eye out for more news.
Prior to arriving in Atlanta in May 2024, Saleh spent the previous three seasons with the Golden State Warriors, including their 2022 NBA Championship team, and ending his tenure as its vice president of basketball strategy & team counsel.
Before Golden State, Saleh spent five years with the San Antonio Spurs, finishing as the team’s director of strategy & process/chief of staff.
This was a mostly successful season for the Hawks, even if they did not make the playoffs. This was a young team that had a lot of unknowns heading into the season, but a lot of those questions got answered. Dyson Daniels was the perfect backcourt teammate with Trae Young and showed why he is one of the best defenders in the league while improving by leaps and bounds on offense. Zaccharie Risacher showed continued improvement and was one of the best rookies in the NBA this season. Onyeka Okongwu took over as the starting center and showed that he could hold that position for the Hawks, while Jalen Johnson looked like an All-Star. If Johnson had not suffered a season-ending injury, as well as Larry Nance and Clint Capela getting injured, the Hawks might have been a top-six seed in the East.
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