The Toronto Raptors appear to have narrowed their search for their next general manager.

Denver Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri met with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment in length on Friday and is in negotiations to take over the same position with Toronto, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Wojnarowski reports that the Raptors are willing to make an offer that will pay Ujiri, who is going to take the next couple of days to mull over the offer, close to $3 million per season.

The 42-year-old won the NBA’s Executive of the Year award this season but does not have a contract for next season.

The Nuggets may be reluctant to get in a bidding war with the Raptors to retain the services of Ujiri.

Ujiri joined the Nuggets front office after years in the Raptors’ organization. He helped build Denver into a Western Conference contender and his best work came in trading Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks.

If the Raptors cannot work out a deal with Ujiri, another possible candidate could be Indiana Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard.



According to Ken Berger of CBSSports, the Raptors have asked for permission to interview Pritchard to run their basketball operations.

Pritchard was promoted by the Pacers last June. Prior to joining the Pacers, he was the general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers (2006-2010)

Pritchard’s notable moves as general manager include acquiring LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, and Nicolas Batum for the Trail Blazers.

One scenario, according to Berger, that has been discussed is the Raptors pairing Pritchard with Oklahoma City Thunder assistant GM Troy Weaver – who is one of the NBA’s most popular front office candidates.

The Raptors recently overhauled their management structure as new MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke moved team president Bryan Colangelo to a role on the business side as they search for a new general manager.

The Raptors considered adding Pritchard to their front office in 2011 when they hired Ed Stefanski but he was unwilling to leave the Pacers organization at the time.