Pistons hiring Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon to be president of basketball operations

Five weeks after the conclusion of the worst season in franchise history, the Detroit Pistons have found a new leader.

The Pistons are working towards a deal with New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon to be the franchise's new head of basketball operations, the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, reports.

Langdon was viewed as a favorite for the position after interviewing with owner Tom Gores, and has long been regarded as one of the NBA's brightest candidates to lead a front office.

Langdon joined New Orleans in 2019 and has been a key part of a franchise that boasts one of the league's most talented young cores, led by Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones. The Pelicans tied their second-best record in franchise history, 49-33, this past season and fell in the first round of the playoffs.

He will take over a Pistons franchise coming off a 14-68 season, which included an NBA record-tying 28-game losing streak. Detroit has more than $60 million in cap space this summer and the fifth-overall pick in June's draft, and have decisions looming on Cade Cunningham's rookie max extension and Simone Fontecchio's restricted free agency.

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A former NBA player who had a stint overseas before joining the San Antonio Spurs as a scout in 2012, Langdon was named assistant GM of the Brooklyn Nets in 2016 prior to joining the Pelicans. He was also general manager of their G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, and was named G League basketball executive of the year in 2018-19.

After reporting to executive vice president David Griffin in New Orleans, Langdon will sit at the top of the chain of command for the Pistons and will have full autonomy to reshape Detroit's front office, as well as decide on the futures of general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Monty Williams.

Weaver was hired as general manager in 2020 with a goal to "restore" a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since 2008. He added eight first-round picks in four years, including Cade Cunningham, but hasn't been able to nail the ancillary moves needed to add to the win column. Detroit combined for just 31 wins these past two seasons to 133 losses (the Pistons also finished with a league-worst 17 wins in 2022-23).

A deal with Langdon isn't expected to become official until next week, per the Free Press. The Pistons had a list of candidates, including Dallas Mavericks advisor Dennis Lindsay and Minnesota Timberwolves president Tim Connelly, whose team is currently in the Western Conference finals.

The Pistons' pending agreement with Langdon was initially reported by ESPN.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.