There were questions about Masai Ujiri as a general manager when the Nuggets hired him. He seemed a bit of a reach, someone who hadn’t had a lot of experience and that raised a few eyebrows around the league.
But Ujiri has answered every question, looked smart in the role and reshaped a roster following the Carmelo Anthony trade. Then this summer Ujiri pulled in Andre Iguodala as part of the Dwight Howard trade his best move yet.
The 76ers are still looking for a GM to come in and replace Rod Thorn next year, and they went after Ujiri, according to Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo Sports.
The 76ers were granted permission to talk to Ujiri earlier in the summer, but he ultimately resisted what would’ve been a lucrative package to replace Sixers president and GM Rod Thorn, sources said….
The Sixers’ ownership group had believed it could lure Ujiri, one of the lowest-paid GMs in the league, with a $2 million-plus annual package, sources said. Nevertheless, Ujiri’s strong relationship and trust in Denver president Josh Kroenke and owner Stan Kroenke, as well as his investment in a promising roster, led him to stay the course in Denver.
Denver kept Ujiri this time, but Philly will not be the only team to come calling. The Nuggets and the Kroenke family are going to have to pay up to keep Ujiri long term.
So, where does all this leave Philly?