Philadelphia Sixers Tried and Failed to Hire Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri

According to Yahoo! Sports, the Philly Sixers came hard after the Nuggets’ wunderkind general manager Masai Ujiri, who rebuffed their advances and stayed in Denver: “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. Ujiri has emerged as a rising star among league front-office executives and had been the 76ers’ primary target along with new Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry, sources said. The 76ers have narrowed the search and appear to be leaning toward promoting assistant GM Tony DiLeo to the GM job, league sources said. The 76ers had considered former New Orleans Hornets GM Jeff Bower, but as the Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported, DiLeo has emerged as the favorite to take over for Thorn. 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. Ujiri has a year left on his original three-year deal, and Denver will likely need to secure him with a long-term commitment to stave off future suitors.”