Yahoo Sports Wizards say they have no interest in Raptors president Masai Ujiri
The Washington Wizards claim they never had interest in hiring Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri. Wizards owner Ted Leonsis shut down reports Tuesday, telling Candace Buckner of the Washington Post the team never planned to talk to Ujiri.
That news comes as a bit of a surprise considering how much the Wizards had been tied to Ujiri over the past couple weeks. In early June, it was reported the Wizards were considering giving Ujiri an ownership stake in the team to convince him to join the Wizards. A week later, it was reported the Wizards were going to offer Ujiri $10 million a year.
Leonsis strongly denied those reports.
Leonsis: "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.” https://t.co/ioZUOGN3vv
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) June 18, 2019
The Wizards are in search of a new president after firing long-time exec Ernie Grunfeld during the season. The Wizards reportedly wanted Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly, but Connelly rejected Washington’s offer.
Following the Raptors’ win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Ujiri was involved in an incident with a deputy on the court. The deputy reportedly asked Ujiri to present credentials as Ujiri was heading to the court to celebrate. The deputy then claims things got physical. Ujiri has been seen in videos holding his credentials right before and right after the incident. The deputy involved may sue after claiming he suffered a concussion and serious jaw injury during the altercation.
Ujiri may have hinted at his long-term future at the Raptors’ championship parade Monday. He told fans “we’ll win some more in Toronto.”
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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