Four names have emerged as top candidates for the Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations role, sources tell Yahoo Sports.
Trajan Langdon, Scott Perry, Dennis Lindsey and John Hammond have impressed in interviews and are the favorites to meet 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 evaluate 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 ESPN. Lindsey is a consultant to the Dallas Mavericks, and Hammond is a senior consultant to Orlando Magic GM Jeff Weltman.
Detroit’s president position has been vacant since Stan Van Gundy held the position from 2014-18.
The Pistons may also be waiting to gauge interest from Timberwolves chief executive Tim Connelly, who built the Timberwolves and most of the Nuggets’ current roster. These two teams will play Game 7 of the conference semifinal series on Sunday night.
Connelly opted 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 prospective owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are headed to league arbitration, he could seek a raise and another team – but the Timberwolves are primed to be contenders for years to come with their core.
The Pistons are far from that, having suffered a franchise-record and league-tying 28-game losing streak and a league-worst 14-68 record. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2008 and currently hold the fifth pick in next month’s draft. Gores’ hard cap and willingness to spend are compelling elements of this work.
Current general manager Troy Weaver is still in his role, as is head coach Monty Williams, who signed a record deal last summer to come to the franchise. The new president is expected to make decisions or at least strong recommendations regarding the future of both.
Langdon rose through the ranks, starting in San Antonio and Brooklyn before moving to New Orleans in his current role. During Langdon’s playing days, Arn Tellem was his agent-Tellem is now the Pistons’ vice president, and the Pistons have signed 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 in the red. Born in Detroit, he had two stints with the Pistons franchise, including as an executive when he won an NBA championship in 2004 and went to six consecutive conference finals during that period.
Hammond was also a chief lieutenant in Detroit during the time the Pistons were last relevant, before moving on to Milwaukee and now Orlando. At 69, Hammond and the Pistons may be on different timelines.
Lindsey was general manager in Utah before an ownership change, with Ryan Smith moving in and later giving key roles to Justin Zanik, and Danny Ainge becoming CEO and alternate governor.
Lindsey was accused of a racist comment in a 2015 exit interview 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’m going to cut your black ass and send you back to Louisiana,” but was unable to corroborate it. Lindsey denied 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 placed on leave in October 2022.
The role of president of basketball operations is a major hire for the franchise, with Cade Cunningham being extension-eligible this summer and the Pistons being in crisis for quite some time.
