Four names have emerged as leading candidates for the Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations job, sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Trajan Langdon, Scott Perry, Dennis Lindsey and John Hammond have impressed in interviews and are the favorites to reunite with Pistons owner Tom Gores as the franchise hopes to fill the position before next month’s NBA Draft.
The Pistons are using a search firm to vet candidates.
Langdon is currently the general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans. Perry most recently held the title of general manager of the New York Knicks and is currently an analyst for Keynote USA. Lindsey is an advisor to the Dallas Mavericks and Hammond is a senior advisor to Orlando Magic general manager Jeff Weltman.
Detroit’s president position has been vacant since Stan Van Gundy held the position from 2014-2018.
The Pistons could also be waiting to gauge the interest of Timberwolves top executive Tim Connelly, who has built both the Timberwolves and most of the Nuggets’ current roster. Those two teams will play Game 7 of their conference semifinal series on Sunday night.
Connelly has an opt-out at the end of this season after signing a five-year, $40 million contract in 2022. With the Timberwolves’ ownership situation in flux, as current owner Glen Taylor and potential owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are headed to In league arbitration, he could be looking for just as much of a raise as another team, but the Timberwolves are primed to be contenders for years to come with their core.
The Pistons are far from it, having endured a franchise-record, league-tying 28-game losing streak and a league-worst 14-68 record. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2008 and currently have the fifth pick in next month’s draft. Gores’ cap space and willingness to spend are an attractive element for this job.
Current general manager Troy Weaver is still in place, as is head coach Monty Williams, who signed a record contract last summer to join the franchise. The incoming president is expected to make decisions or at least firm recommendations about the future of both.
Langdon has risen through the ranks, starting with San Antonio and Brooklyn before heading to New Orleans in his current role. During Langdon’s playing days, Arn Tellem was his agent; Tellem is now the vice president of the Pistons, and the Pistons have drafted players represented by Tellem’s sons over the years.
Perry was instrumental in cleaning up the Knicks’ books after arriving in 2017, and the franchise has a surplus of draft picks after years of being in the red. A native of Detroit, he has worked with the Pistons franchise twice, including as an executive when they won an NBA championship in 2004 and reached six consecutive conference finals during that time.
Hammond was also a chief lieutenant in Detroit during that era when the Pistons were last relevant, before moving on to Milwaukee and, now, Orlando. However, at 69 years old, Hammond and the Pistons could be on different timelines.
Lindsey was the general manager in Utah before an ownership change, with Ryan Smith moving out and then giving top duties to Justin Zanik, and Danny Ainge becoming CEO and alternate governor.
Lindsey was accused of a racist comment in a 2015 exit interview conducted by former Jazz player Elijah Millsap in 2021. The league investigated Millsap’s claim that Lindsey told him, “If you say one more word, I’ll cut your black ass off.” and I will send you You will go back to Louisiana,” but he could not corroborate it. Lindsey denied that the statement was made and spent last season with the Mavericks, who are one game away from clinching a spot in the Western Conference finals.
The Pistons just settled a lawsuit involving former assistant general manager Rob Murphy and his former executive assistant, DeJanai Raska, a year after Raska accused Murphy of sexual misconduct. Murphy was granted leave in October 2022.
The president of basketball operations position is a major hire for the franchise, as Cade Cunningham is eligible for an extension this summer and the Pistons have been in the doldrums for quite some time.
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