Denver Nuggets Exec Masai Ujiri reportedly targeted by the Toronto Raptors

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.

The Philadelphia 76ers made a move for Ujiri last off-season but he didn’t show interest in leaving Denver. His past in Toronto, however, could make this off-season’s decision a little tougher. Ujiri’s contract is up in Denver and signing him is presumably Nuggets’ president Josh Kroenke’s number one priority.

Toronto, who cut ties with Bryan Colangelo, according to sources, also listed the Washington Wizard’s vice-president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard as a possible target.

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