May 2, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets president

According to Adrian Wojnarowskiof Yahoo! Sports, Denver Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri, the league’s Executive of the Year, is the top target of the Toronto Raptors. Bryan Colangelo hired Ujiri as the Raptors’ Director of Global Scouting and Ujiri eventually worked his way to the assistant general manager position in 2008 before being hired by the Nuggets in 2010.

Ujiri, who just recently was named the league’s Executive of the Year, is the first African-born GM in North American sports. He  was charged immediately with handling the Carmelo Anthony saga. Ujiri was praised for the move, as he received a lot of young valuable assets from the New York Knicks in a trade. Also on his resume is the deals he made for Andre Iguodala and JaVale McGee.

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Feb 2, 2013; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard/forward Reggie Bullock (35) shoots in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Hokies 72-60 at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

School: University of North Carolina

Position: Small forward

Size: 6’7 (in shoes)

Wingspan: 6’8.75

Weight: 190

Reggie Bullock developed into a 3-and-D type player for the Tar Heels and looks like he’ll translate well to the NBA. He increased in points, rebounds and assists per game all while becoming much more efficient as an offensive player. He defended the best player on the floor game-in and game-out and thrived because of his size and competitiveness on that end of the floor.

In his junior season, his 3-point percentage raised to 43.6 and he began shooting more comfortably coming off screens and in spot up situations. As a rebounder, he’s solid. He’s not the most comfortable of ball handlers but he knows when to zip the ball across to a teammate for open looks.

He’s not the most athletic player, but he makes up for it with his competitive spirit. He’s not a great ball handler, but he makes up for that with his high basketball IQ. As a freshman and sophomore, he made poor decisions with the ball in his hand, often looking to do something he wasn’t capable of. As a junior, his turnover rate dropped and he became much more comfortable in Roy Williams’ system.

His ceiling in the NBA is limited but he should make for a nice role player for years to come. He’s never going to be an All-Star but he will be a solid contributor and could work his way to a starting role at some point in his career.

How would he fit in with Denver? Well that sort of depends on how the Nuggets view their other young wing players in Evan Fournier and Quincy Miller. As a player he seems to fit the mold of what the Nuggets need: a defensive minded player who stretches the floor with 3-point shooting. The Nuggets’ inability to stretch the floor killed them in their first round playoff exit. That, and they struggled in guarding the perimeter. Bullock might patch some of those holes.

But would he hurt the development of Fournier and Miller? There are a few ways to look at this. If the Nuggets let Corey Brewer walk in the off-season, that’s 24 minutes a game opened up. If Andre Iguodala decides he doesn’t have a chance to win a championship in Denver, that’s another 35 minutes. There’s also the possibility that Denver will select one of the numerous available international players and stash them away for a few years to allow its young guys to develop.

Bullock isn’t the sexiest pick but he’s as close to a sure thing that you can find at the bottom of round one. He’s going to come in immediately, compete on the defensive end and provide floor spacing with his outside shot. And if you’re selection No. 27, isn’t that what you want?

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