NBA’s youngest GM starts trial by fire
Assistant Webster moves up the chain of command heading into pivotal stretch
With one of the most important summers in franchise history about to unfold, the Raptors have cleaned up some front-office loose ends.
The franchise promoted Bobby Webster to general manager and made Dan Tolzman the assistant GM and director of player personnel, while promoting Keith Boyarsky to vice-president of basketball strategy and research in long-anticipated moves announced Wednesday.
Webster replaces Jeff Weltman, who left Toronto for the Orlando president’s job. Toltzman moves up after serving as the player personnel director and GM with Raptors 905, while Boyarsky is bumped from an analytics role.
The changes are mainly structural, with team president Masai Ujiri remaining at the top of the pole in the decision-making process. They had long been expected and have nothing to do with suggestions that the New York Knicks may be interested in having Ujiri replace the now-depart- ed Phil Jackson as their president.
“There’s speculation every day,” Webster told reporters at an introductory news conference Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t think I need to necessarily comment on that specifically. But the stability between Larry (Tanenbaum, the face of ownership) and Masai in this organization, I think, is clear and I’m happy to be part of all of it.”
At 32 years old, Webster becomes the youngest GM in the league, and extends a rapid rise through Toronto’s management ranks.
Webster joined the Raptors in 2012, hired away from the NBA league office in New York, and was promoted to assistant GM a year ago when Ujiri was bumped up to president and Weltman was named GM.
The moves come as Toronto’s front office faces crucial decisions in the next few weeks. Four players — most notably all-star point guard Kyle Lowry — will become unrestricted free agents on July1, and Ujiri and his cabal of advisers must determine which they want to try to keep, and at what cost, when the sides talk.
“They’re not as crazy as you would think,” Webster said. “You sit down and you kind of talk as adults and professionals and people about basketball. So I don’t think that changes. I think Masai will, 100 per cent, be the guy in charge and I’ll be there to fill in with my relationships with the players and my views.”
Webster and Tolzman have been involved in all personnel decisions as part of Ujiri’s band since they arrived.