The Detroit Pistons have a new president of basketball operations, roughly a month after team owner Tom Gores announced the team was opening a search for a top executive. Trajan Langdon, the New Orleans Pelicans’ general manager for the past five seasons, is currently negotiating a deal with Detroit, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Detroit is coming off the worst season in franchise history, finishing with a 14–68 record and an NBA record-tying 28-game losing streak. Once Langdon takes the Pistons’ president of basketball operations position, the question is whether he’ll decide to keep general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Monty Williams.
Langdon has been the Pelicans’ GM since 2019, working under executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin.
During his tenure, New Orleans selected Zion Williamson No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft and acquired Trey Murphy III in 2021 as part of a three-team deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets. But his best pick might be Herb Jones as a second-rounder in 2021 out of Alabama. Jones was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive first team this season.
The Pistons have the No. 5 selection in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Langdon, 48, has also pulled off significant trades, acquiring Jonas Valanciunas in a 2021 three-team deal and CJ McCollum in a 2022 six-player transaction (including a first-round and two second-round picks) from the Portland Trail Blazers.
“The Pistons felt Langdon was very thoughtful during interviews and had well-rounded ideas that really caught the attention of ownership,” reports The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III and Shams Charania. Dallas Mavericks senior adviser Dennis Lindsey was also reportedly a finalist for the position.
As Pistons GM, Weaver has arguably succeeded in accumulating young talent, largely due to high draft picks in recent years. Yet a young core of guards Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey, centers Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, and forward Ausar Thompson hasn’t fit together. With so much poor shooting and defense, Williams struggled to find a lineup that worked consistently.
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Williams also seems likely to stay as head coach after signing a six-year, $76 million contract to join the Pistons last season. However, despite $60 million remaining on his deal, Gores will eat that money if Langdon decides to make a coaching change, according to The Athletic.
Prior to taking the job with New Orleans, Langdon was an assistant general manager with the Brooklyn Nets under Sean Marks. He joined the Nets after three years as a scout for the San Antonio Spurs.
Langdon played three seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the team’s first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in the 1999 draft after an All-American career at Duke. He also played eight years internationally in Italy, Turkey and Russia.
