{"id":139647,"date":"2025-05-15T10:44:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T14:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=139647"},"modified":"2025-05-15T10:44:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T14:44:19","slug":"hawks-masai-ujiri-ideal-president-basketball-ops-candidate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/15\/hawks-masai-ujiri-ideal-president-basketball-ops-candidate\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawks (Finally) Name Ideal President Of Basketball Ops Candidate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Atlanta Hawks are leaving no stone untouched in their pursuit of new President of Basketball Operations. So much so that the latest candidate to surface as a possibility might not even be attainable. To that point, the Hawks have now placed Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri on their wishlist, according to The Stein Line\u2019s Mark Stein.<\/p>\n<h2>Hawks Name Masai Ujiri As President Of Basketball Ops Candidate<\/h2>\n<p>Ujiri and the Raptors are now six years removed from the franchise\u2019s first and only championship season. Nevertheless, his roster-building skills are still applauded by many. Indeed, Toronto\u2019s in prime position to take a major step forward thanks to the moves he\u2019s made since December 2023 alone.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:igwnnfvmgtrxmgumffgkjfpa\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3lp6d7bbbds2d\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreig2bl5jjudz7wph4hwqeenehbmdwtnvsje5hal7xks3ki5xdteepm\">\n<p lang=\"en\">The Hawks have expressed interest in trying to hire Masai Ujiri away from Toronto, league sources tell @thesteinline.bsky.social.Full story: tinyurl.com\/4das7v3e<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; <a  href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:igwnnfvmgtrxmgumffgkjfpa?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marc Stein (@thesteinline.bsky.social)<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:igwnnfvmgtrxmgumffgkjfpa\/post\/3lp6d7bbbds2d?ref_src=embed\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2025-05-15T01:07:34.515Z<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/embed.bsky.app\/static\/embed.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In that time, they\u2019ve traded for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barrerj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">RJ Barrett<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/q\/quickim01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Immanuel Quickey<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/ingrabr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Ingram<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/agbajoc01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ochai Agbaji<\/a>. They\u2019ve drafted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/walteja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ja\u2019Kobe Walter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mogbojo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Mogbo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sheadja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jamal Shead<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chomcul01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ulrich Chomche<\/a>. They\u2019ve also signed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/battlja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jamison Battle<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lawsoaj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AJ Lawson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With those pieces (and others) placed around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barnesc01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scottie Barnes<\/a>, 2025-26 looks pretty promising. If the Hawks had him as a talent evaluator, there\u2019s little to no doubt they could do more with less. That\u2019s important for a team that\u2019s had a hard time <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/20\/2025-nba-offseason-hawks-master-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">putting their own puzzle together<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t hurt that he\u2019s more likely to amass draft capital <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/21\/landry-fieldss-decision-making-at-heart-of-hawks-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">than to waste it<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>The Other Candidates<\/h3>\n<p>Thus far, the franchise that was originally known as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks has been linked to myriad candidates with prior experience as a leading front office member. That list includes: current Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand; former Sacramento Kings general manager Monte McNair; former Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth; current San Antonio Spurs basketball operations consultant Danny Ferry; and current NBA G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim.<\/p>\n<p>However, Brand <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/07\/latest-intel-hawks-president-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">has removed himself<\/a> from the Hawks\u2019 search to focus on the Sixers\u2019 offseason.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_139686\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-139686\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-139686\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6262-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6262-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6262-1024x682.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6262-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6262-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6262-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6262-600x400.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/05\/IMG_6262-1200x800.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-139686\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sep 13, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand speaks at the podium during the sculpture unveiling ceremony honoring Charles Barkley at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After Brand stepped back, it appeared as the foursome of McNair, Booth, Ferry, and Abdur-Rahim would compete with former BYU standout <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hansetr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Travis Hansen<\/a>, for the President of Basketball Operations role. Hansen, who was actually drafted by the Hawks in 2003, has no NBA front office experience. Still, he\u2019s founded a successful private equity company (Tesani), which speaks to his business acumen.<\/p>\n<p>With that being said, Hawks owner Tony Ressler is toying with the idea of <a href=\"https:\/\/marcstein.substack.com\/p\/all-the-latest-around-the-nba-buzz?publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=163187995&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;utm_campaign=posts-open-in-app&amp;triedRedirect=true\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hiring a player agent<\/a> as president, per The Stein Line. In fact, they\u2019re eyeing two specific agents \u2014 Austin Brown (Creative Arts Agency) and Alex Saratsis (Octagon).<\/p>\n<p>Notably, Brown represents Hawks face of the franchise <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngtr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trae Young<\/a>, which could lend insight into the star guard\u2019s future in Atlanta. Saratsis, who RG.org\u2019s Grant Afseth <a href=\"https:\/\/rg.org\/news\/basketball\/trade-suitors-are-monitoring-closely-giannis-antetokounmpo\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">names as a dark horse<\/a> candidate, represents several players from the international basketball community. One such player is Milwaukee Bucks leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>, whose future in the Midwest is <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/12\/rockets-enamored-giannis-antetokounmpo-trade\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">as undefined as ever<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>The Player Agent Route<\/h3>\n<p>Hiring a player agent as the lead front office executive <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/09\/13\/nba-will-rich-paul-become-next-agent-join-front-office\/\" target=\"_self\">is a path<\/a> that franchises like the New York Knicks (Leon Rose), Los Angeles Lakers (Rob Pelinka) and Golden State Warriors (Bob Myers) have made popular.<\/p>\n<p>There have been varying degrees of success between those three franchises. Yet, they\u2019ve all been perennial playoff teams under those former player agents. The Lakers and Warriors both won championships, the latter becoming a dynasty.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, it\u2019s worth mentioning the relationships that agents have with players and executives around the league. Players don\u2019t tend to salivate over the idea of joining the Hawks, for one reason or another. Thus, a former agent\u2019s connections could make acquiring and attracting talent easier.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Atlanta Hawks are leaving no stone untouched in their pursuit of new President of Basketball Operations. So much so that the latest candidate to surface as a possibility might not even be attainable. To that point, the Hawks have now placed Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri on their wishlist, according to The Stein Line\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":139692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1608,20,25,26,15,62,12,3,13,29,34,14],"tags":[50121,50120,49472,49370,224,306,114,49915,2249,1349,50108],"class_list":["post-139647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-nuggets","category-warriors","category-lakers","category-bucks","category-nba","category-knicks","category-news","category-76ers","category-kings","category-spurs","category-raptors","tag-alex-saratsis","tag-austin-brown","tag-calvin-booth","tag-danny-ferry","tag-elton-brand","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-masai-ujiri","tag-monte-mcnair","tag-shareef-abdur-rahim","tag-trae-young","tag-travis-hansen"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139647"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139696,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139647\/revisions\/139696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}