Changes are coming to Detroit — which, considering the team has had the worst record in the NBA for consecutive years, is something that’s called for.
The Pistons made it official on Friday, Trajan Langdon is in as the team’s new President of Basketball Operations.
“Trajan is an accomplished front office executive with an impressive track record,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement announcing the hire. “He’s worked his way up and seen it all as a player, scout and executive. He’s been successful at every level. I’m confident he will very swiftly get us to the standard of excellence I expect from every business.”
The first change under Langdon: Current GM Troy Weaver is out, reports James L. Edwards III and Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Pistons are in serious talks to hire Pelicans executive Michael Blackstone as the No. 2 decision-maker under Langdon in Detroit’s front office, league sources said. Blackstone has served as the Pelicans’ VP of basketball administration over the last several seasons. He also spent time as an assistant GM with the Hawks and executive director of basketball operations with the Cavaliers... Detroit did offer Weaver, who still has years left on his contract, an off-site scouting role to remain with the organization in a much smaller capacity, but he declined the position, per sources.
Weaver came on board as GM in 2020 and was tasked with a teardown and rebuild of the Pistons, but it had never gone according to plan. Weaver’s drafting and talent evaluation was hit-and-miss, and the team never seemed to take steps forward. There are positives, he drafted Cade Cunningham, who had a breakout season and is a cornerstone for whatever Langdon builds. There also are good prospects such as Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren. However, while he missed the draft (taking Killian Hayes over Tyrese Haliburton), the oddest decisions were adding win-now free agent decisions such as Jerami Grant and Bojan Bogdanovic, among others. It left the team with an odd mix of players — veterans who needed touches, taking them away from players who needed to develop.
Weaver did leave the books clean, and Detroit has nearly $60 million in cap space this summer, but they need to think slow and steady, not short-term. Don’t start pushing for a play-in spot now. Langdon needs to let that happen naturally. He knows that, but how long will Gores continue to be patient?
