Raptors extend president Ujiri; promote Weltman to GM

The Toronto Raptors announced Friday that team president Masai Ujiri has signed a multi-year extension.

Ujiri held titles as both general manager and team president under his previous arrangement. Under this updated structure, former assistant Jeff Weltman will fill the general manager role, while cap guru Bobby Webster will be promoted to Weltman's vacated position as the assistant general manager.

The 46-year-old Ujiri will continue to oversee basketball operations.

"I am grateful to the Board and Mr. Tanenbaum for the opportunity to continue our progress to build the Raptors into one of the top franchises in the NBA," Ujiri said in the release.

"I’m also excited that Jeff and Bobby are being rewarded for their hard work and valuable contributions to our program. My family thanks the NBA, Raptors players and coaches, staff, Raptors fans, the city of Toronto, and Canada for this opportunity. Toronto is home for us."

Ujiri has overseen three of the most successful seasons in Raptors history since taking over for former general manager Bryan Colangelo in 2013. He dealt away Andrea Bargnani and Rudy Gay, which freed up opportunities for Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to reach their potential.

The backcourt's ascent, coupled with shrewd additions around the margins, translated into three straight playoff appearances, with the 2015-16 season setting the standard for franchise excellence.

Toronto won 56 games last season, hosted the All-Star Game with two representative playing in the exhibition, won their first-ever (and second-ever) seven-game playoff series, and came within two wins of the NBA Finals.

At the core of it, Ujiri has built upon the principles of stability and patience - something rarely demonstrated by his predecessors in Toronto. Having locked in their top management structure for the foreseeable future, the Raptors should expect more success in the coming years.