Wizards deny trying to lure Raptors' Masai Ujiri to Washington

After weeks of reports that suggested the Washington Wizards were courting Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri, it looks like Ted Leonsis has set the record straight.

The Wizard’s managing partner recently addressed the Ujiri rumours in a Washington Post story, where he shared some insight on the organization’s search for a new president of basketball operations.

In the story, Leonsis strongly denied that the Wizards were looking to poach the man who built a Toronto team that just won its first NBA championship.

“We have not commented on the many rumours surrounding potential candidates during this process, but I wanted to make an exception in this case out of respect to the Raptors organization as they celebrate their well-deserved championship,” Leonsis shared with the Post.

“Any reports that we have interest in Masai Ujiri as a candidate are simply not true, and we have never planned in any way to ask for permission to speak to him during our process.”

Leonsis was addressing the many reports that suggested the Wizards were prepared to offer Ujiri a king’s ransom in order to come to Washington. The Wizards’ package for Ujiri reportedly included a near-$10 million salary with an ownership stake in Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns and operates the Wizards, Washington Capitals, and the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.

After building a championship roster north of the border, Ujiri has quickly become a superstar in the NBA executive ranks, one that many teams would surely love to employ.

Shortly before he signed a multi-year contract extension with the Raptors just before the beginning of the 2016 NBA season, the New York Knicks were believed to be interested in Ujiri’s elite services.

There’s no doubt that Washington had interest in Ujiri, but this report suggests the 2012-13 Executive of the Year won’t be heading to the U.S. Capital any time soon.

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