The Detroit Pistons are planning to hire Trajan Langdon from the New Orleans Pelicans to become their new head of basketball operations, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The deal is expected to be finalized next week, as reported by Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press.
Langdon has served as the general manager of the Pelicans for the past five years, acting as the second-in-command to David Griffin, the executive vice president of basketball operations.
Will Guillory of The Athletic notes that Langdon is highly regarded within the Pelicans organization for his talent evaluation skills.
A former standout player at Duke, Langdon was drafted 11th overall in 1999 and spent three seasons in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He achieved significant success overseas, winning two EuroLeague titles with CSKA Moscow in 2006 and 2008, earning EuroLeague Final Four MVP honors in 2008, and being named to the EuroLeague’s All-Decade team for the 2000s.
After retiring as a player in 2011, Langdon began his front office career with the San Antonio Spurs as a scout from 2012-2015.
He then served as an assistant general manager with the Brooklyn Nets under Sean Marks before joining the Pelicans.
Langdon has long been seen as a candidate to lead a front office.
He interviewed for the top job with the Pelicans in 2019 before being hired under Griffin and was later considered for head of basketball operations positions in Sacramento and Washington.
The Pistons, who finished the 2023/24 season with a 14-68 record, have been seeking a new president of basketball operations to replace Troy Weaver as the top decision-maker in their front office.
Langdon was one of four frontrunners for the job, alongside Scott Perry, Dennis Lindsey, and John Hammond.
Other candidates included Timberwolves president Tim Connelly, but Detroit chose to move forward with Langdon.
The new executive will have the final say on Weaver’s role and on head coach Monty Williams.
Williams and Langdon have a shared history with the Pelicans, though their tenures did not overlap.
